Kage
by RosieShiba
Summary: Dawn is at the top her game, Top Co-ordinator in two regions, but when she and her friends go for a little vacation they are attacked. Once again Dawn's life is thrown upside down but this time she's going to fight back. Continuation from Akari. OCs.
1. Yume

**So I have not disappeared, I am just very overworked at the minute. I managed to add some stuff to this story to get it started finally!**

**And so I welcome you to Kage – the Akari sequel. Yay! XD I have no idea when I'm going to be able to work on this but I figured if it's up then I will update it! **

**I decided to keep off a few of the OCs so they have been slashed but I will be introducing a few familiar faces along the way. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own my OCs and the plot but not Pokémon :(**

**Chapter One: Yume**

_The sun shone brightly through the maple trees which were browning with age of the year. Autumn was coming to the streets of Ecruteak and the children were making the most of what little time they had left of the good weather. _

_Apart from one boy aged around fourteen years old. He was sat on a large log reading a very thick book which was written in Japanese. His light blue hair blew softly in the breeze as his eyes skimmed over the creamy white pages. He had longed since blocked out the noise of the other children, his friends, in the distance as they ran around screaming at each other. They were playing some sort of 'tagging' game with the girls. Apparently it was a very good game where the girls would chase after the boys and attempt to kiss them. If they boys were caught then they were subjected to a kiss wherever the girl could manage to place it. The boy with the highest number of kisses was the loser. _

"_You're reading?" _

_The boy grimaced at the soft statement posed at him by his brother's girlfriend. His head shot up and he gave her an icy glare. Stood beside him was a very young and pretty woman with lone honey hair. It hung loose like usual. Her eyes, violet in colour, washed over him with a glint of concern present. _

"_Yes," he replied, "What of it?"_

"_Nothing," she said, "Have you fallen out with your friends or something?"_

"_What's it to you?" he snapped, closing his book sharply and squaring up to her. His eyes narrowed at her. Despite her beauty and her obvious charm, he couldn't stand her. There was something about her that made him distrust her, perhaps it was the fact she was so beautiful (not that he liked to think that) or the fact she never seemed to do anything wrong. Maybe it was because she was a warrior, not just any warrior: A Churitsu warrior. _

"_Nothing," she replied. She sat down next to him calmly, dusting off her kimono in a rather lady-like manner. "I wish I could play like they are but I'm far too old for it now."_

"_Yes, you are," he told her. She ignored the rudeness in his tone, instead staring out over the fields where the children were playing. Slowly, a small smile slipped onto her lips. He watched her for a few seconds then reopened his book so he could read more. _

"_Grr," he growled under his breath after a few minutes, causing the woman to glance at him._

"_What's wrong?" she asked._

"_This makes no sense at all," he snapped in reply, "If I don't finish the book by tonight then I'll never get to go out and play."_

"_What does it say?" she asked._

"_Iyasu tame no monode wa arimasen kizu ga arimasu," he read aloud grumpily, adding: "I know what it says but I don't know what it means."_

"_It means that some wounds are not meant to heal," she stated blankly, "Some wounds run so deep that thy can never heal fully or sometimes you should never let them heal."_

"_But that's stupid," he snapped, "If you don't let a wound heal then you'll bleed to death."_

"_Not all wounds are physical," she explained calmly, "Some are emotional, intellectual or mental. We all carry emotional scars."_

"_You may but I don't," he told her, "And neither do my big brothers."_

"_Arashi has emotional scars," she retorted, "And I bet Etsuo does to."_

"_And what about me?" he challenged, "Hmm?"_

"_You're just like the rest of us, Isamu," she replied, this time her tone softer, "To have these scars is to be human. They are what make us stronger and build us as a person. We all have wounds that aren't meant to heal at all. That is __dolenti__veritas."_

"_Dolenti veritas?" Isamu asked._

"_The painful truth," she replied. There was a short spell of silence between the pair as Isamu glanced down at his book and she stared out at the children playing not too far away. _

"_Why aren't you playing with them?" she asked suddenly._

"_Because father wanted me to read this book," Isamu replied sadly, "He says that I'm not as good as those warriors so I have to work harder. He says that I'm weak and pathetic, I'm no good."_

_She glanced at him solemnly for a few seconds before she scooted closer to him, resting her hand on his knee. Isamu shot her a look as a way of warning her to leave him alone but she did not withdraw her hand. _

"_You are a good warrior," she told him shortly, "Don't believe all your father tells you, Isamu. You have your merits and you have your failings but you are not weak."_

"_Get off me," he growled, jumping up off the log he was sitting on and storming away from her in an angry manner. She sighed loudly as Isamu walked towards another tree and threw himself down in the shade. _

"_Don't mind him, he's clueless."_

"_Arashi," she said quietly, "Why does he hate me so much?"_

"_I have no idea, Kiko," Arashi replied, stepping round Akiko and sitting down next to her, "But I worry about him. Father's too hard on him."_

"_I know," Akiko said darkly, "But why only to Isamu, not you or Etsuo?"_

_Arashi thought about this for a few minutes before a grin appeared on his face. He turned to smile at Akiko, placing a hand on hers. Akiko eyed the long haired man carefully, expecting him to do something he shouldn't do. Slowly Arashi leant into her so that he could whisper in her ear._

"_I'll leave my brother in your charge, Kiko," he whispered gently, "You're the only one I would ever trust with him. And as painful as it is for me to watch, I support you. Just promise me, promise me that you will look after him, Kiko."_

"_I promise," Akiko muttered back. Arashi leant forwards a little bit more to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. At his action, Akiko jumped back giving him the dead eye. He chuckled._

"_Father often says he has greater plans for Isamu," Arashi told her, "But what would that mean?"_

"_I don't know," Akiko shrugged. Something caught their attention, breaking their conversation instantly. Akiko disappeared into smoke while Arashi threw himself off the log just in time to avoid a large aura attack coming their way._

"Wah," May screamed as she shot up out of her bed. She panted slightly, the shock of being dragged out of her dreamy state made her heart race. She rubbed her forehead finding sweat covering her brow.

And so it began with a dream that May Maple had shortly after her final contest. The dream was nothing special but it made her jolt awake suddenly in the middle of the night. She swung her legs over the side of the bed wondering what had just happened only to find in the short space of time between dreaming and waking up, she had forgotten everything about the dream. She rubbed her head and let out a sigh.

"I guess I'm just over worked," she reasoned. She smiled widely to herself. "That's it."

The door of the small room opened. A small channel of light swept across the carpet as Dawn returned from the downstairs of the Pokémon Centre. She glanced up at May wondering what the brunette was doing wide awake.

"Is everything alright?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," May replied, "I had a bad dream."

"What was it about?" Dawn quizzed as she walked quietly across to the bunk bed opposite May. Above her Misty was sound asleep which was good. At least one of them was sleeping.

"I can't remember," May sighed, "But it made me jump."

"Well, go back to sleep," Dawn said, snuggling down between the bed sheets and the duvet. May nodded. She moved as though she was going to lie back down but she stopped herself, turning her head towards Dawn.

"What were you doing up, anyway?" May asked. Dawn glanced across at May, smiling.

"Oh, it's nothing," Dawn replied airily, "I just forgot something."

"Alright," May said but she wasn't convinced. Dawn forced a smile onto her face and settled down to sleep. May had a right to be suspicious but Dawn couldn't just come out with 'I thought there was something in the bushes outside so I went to check just in case it was a ninja' could she? As May settled herself back in her covers and fell back to sleep, Dawn reopened her eyes and shuffled around her mattress slightly. Five months to go. It was Paul's birthday in two then hers three after that, then she would return to the Akari.

She smiled at this thought. All through the last year and a half, she had often thought about her new family. She wondered how things were going for Kiboji, who now sat on the Akari throne, as he took charge after the tragic, sudden death of his father Arashi. Dawn missed Arashi dearly, she missed them all but Arashi second of all. She knew she missed him that much because he was dead and she would never see him again. She missed Reggie, the middle Akari and a friend in his own rights. Oh he was so kind to her. Perhaps she didn't miss Sayuri that much and she pleasantly missed Etsuo, the sarcastic brother of Isamu and Arashi, who would often come out what everyone was thinking.

Then, of course, there was the constant bickering of Akiko and Isamu, the married far too long couple. Their moods changed as much as the weather, each reflecting the other in perfect balance. When she was serious, he was goofy. When she was goofy, he would be slightly more serious than usual. Their antics would always brighten up the mood, even at the darkest of times.

As Dawn went about her 'normal' life, she often found herself adding her family into everyday situations in her mind. There were just certain things that her friends did that made Dawn think of what her family would do if they were with her. It was odd but this way she always felt they were near.

There was one person who she could never imagine to be near her. Whenever she thought about Paul she would be pushed to the verge of tears. At the beginning she had tried to imagine how he would curl up to her (unintentionally) at night when they were sleeping but she found it horribly heartbreaking when she woke up the next morning to find he wasn't there. She loved Paul. No one would understand how she felt though. How could they when she couldn't tell them anything about her family? It felt as though she was constantly lying to all of them. It was wrong but what else could she do?

With these dreary thoughts, Dawn closed her eyes and drifted off into a blissful, dreamless sleep.

~K~

"Shinji," Master Toma said as a purple haired teen stuffed some clothes into a bag.The teen stopped instantly, and turned to see what his master wanted from him. The greying teacher was wearing his usual silver and grey robes with his hair up in a top knot. His eyes dropped slightly on his wrinkled and bearded face. "I see you were not joking when you said you were leaving."

"I'm not one to joke," Paul replied politely. Master Toma let out a long sigh.

"It has been far too long since your mother did the exact same thing," he said, "Akiko and you are very similar."

"I get that a lot," Paul said, "When it comes to our fighting ability, of course."

"You've got a lot of Ibuki in you too," Toma went on, "I see her in you as well."

"You mean my grandmother?" Paul asked, raising an eyebrow, "I've never met her."

"That is rather unlucky for you," Toma chuckled, "I bet she's the only person to make Akiko run for her money."

"I'd pay to see that," Paul remarked darkly making his master chuckle even louder. Toma was an aging man, ancient in fact, but he was still the best person to train Paul. Toma often took responsibility for Akiko's training and, since he already had experience in how to down play bad press, Etsuo had spent very little time in sending Paul to train with the Churitsu master. Despite being far too old to count, Toma was a bundle of energy with a great sense of humour and humbleness that Paul rarely saw.

So many nights had passed when Toma and a few of the other masters had invited the apprentices round for a round of drinks and cards. It always dissolved into Toma telling stories from his past, all his narrow escapes and great escapades. Then usually came the stories about Akari and Akiko, how Arashi and Akiko were seen as the golden couple and how Isamu had tried a number of times to get Akiko lost.

"Will you miss me?" Toma asked suddenly, his thin eyebrows almost disappearing into his hair. Paul turned round and gave Toma a pointed look which stated 'no'. Paul did not miss anyone, apart from her. "Well, it's nice to know I'm wanted."

"Yes, Sensei," Paul humoured the old man. To this, Toma sighed loudly.

"You're too much like Ibuki," he moaned, "You don't have the same fire as Akiko to make smart ass comments back to me."

"I don't lack the fire to make smart ass comments," Paul replied, "I'm just smart enough to know that I shouldn't tick you off."

"You've got your father's good sense then," Toma commented, "So where will you find this beautiful young lady you've been pining over since the first day you came here?"

"I have no idea," Paul replied honestly, ignoring the pining comment simply because he knew he couldn't deny it. He really had missed Dawn. "That's why I'm setting off now."

"Be sure to let me meet her one day," Toma instructed the young boy, "I would dearly love it."

"Yes, Sensei," Paul said, "I'm sure you'll love her."

"Well, I've put up with Akiko, Arashi, Isamu -" there was a long grumbling speech after Isamu's name. Paul had come to realise that Toma was not a fan of Isamu one bit because he had 'corrupted' his finest student. Paul never asked for more details figuring it was safer that way. "- then Mamoru… Man was he a drag."

"Mamoru?" Paul asked sharply, recognising the name, "Niaya?"

"The one in the same," Toma replied, "Why? He was one of Isamu's friends back in the day. A lovely man but a bit of an airhead and had a nose for getting into trouble."

Paul smirked at this: "That's where she gets it from, is it?"

"Who?" Toma hummed softly.

"Nothing," Paul replied. He closed his bag tightly by yanking the drawstring sharply. He picked up the bag and casually slung it over his shoulder, turning to face his teacher fully. "I'll be going now."

"Good luck my lad," Toma said with a sad smile, "Arceus knows I will miss your grumpy face."

"You have no idea how often I get that," Paul remarked then disappeared into black smoke, leaving Toma chuckling in the empty room.

When he looked round, Paul saw he was in the fresh air of Olivine City. It was a bright day with a soft salty breeze hanging in the air, in other words perfect. He paused for a moment to take in the sight of the ocean then he turned to see if he could spot the local Pokémon centre. It wasn't hard to find since it was only a hundred yards to his right.

"Figures," Paul muttered to himself. He was just about to walk towards the centre when he felt something round his neck burn. Quickly he reached down the neck of his black turtle neck top and pulled out a teal stone on a simple black cord chain. It was really a gimmick that his clan used but it was useful, none-the-less, for staying out of trouble aboveground.

_Trouble in sector fourteen_, the stone said in engraved writing. The message only lingered for a few seconds but that's all it took for Paul to make plans.

"Well," he muttered, "It's a place to start."

**So it begins. Our characters are on their journeys ^_^ I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you're a little confused by the flashback at the beginning then I apologise but it will make sense later :P **

**Also the title of this story means 'shadow' and the reason for this should become clear in a few chapters, although I bet you'll work it out before then. **

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	2. Kaiso

**Thanks to the very warm welcome to Kage ^_^ So here's chapter two for you all!**

**My wonderful reviewers: Sjir-sama, AwesomeWolfLover, FairoNeko, Angie188, Dani4Short, LovelyLily13, splitheart1120, ninetailsgirl94, xPinkSunshinex, aura the lucario and RaveOn21turned23. Thanks guys!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and OCs.  
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**Chapter Two: Kaiso**

"Well today we could go to the beach then go to the ice cream parlour and then hit the night cruise at seven," Misty told everyone loudly at breakfast. Ash was eating his fourth lot of pancakes while Drew was combing his hair for the third time that morning. Kenny was reading and Dawn was twiddling with her necklace, but listening to Misty at the same time.

"That sounds like fun," Dawn said happily, "I love the beach."

"I don't," Drew moaned, "The sand gets everywhere."

"Get a shower cap and you'll be fine," Dawn giggled, knowing that the main reason Drew hated the beach was because sand got in his hair. Drew gave her a glare as she poked fun at him.

"So what do you too think?" Misty asked Ash and Kenny.

"The buffet sounds great," Ash replied, obviously not listening. Misty frowned but before she could scold him Kenny spoke.

"Yeah that sounds good to me too," he agreed.

"But I didn't even mention the buffet!" Misty snapped.

"I'm up for the buffet," Drew said, "There'll be lots of pretty ladies there."

Misty sighed loudly as Dawn glared across at the three guys. No matter how hard Misty tried, the guys would never agree to what she wanted to do even though most of the time her ideas were the best. With a sigh, Dawn pushed herself away from the table, dragging the chair across the tiled floor of the hotel restaurant they were sat in.

"You three are jerks," Dawn told them, then added quietly to herself: "So much for two years jerk free."

Unfortunately, Kenny over heard her. He looked up at her, his expression curious as to what she meant.

"What do you mean?" Kenny asked. Dawn clicked her tongue at her own stupidity. Of course they were listening to that, she thought bitterly, but not to poor Misty.

"Nothing," she replied curtly. She then tossed her glossy hair behind her shoulders, signalling Misty to follow her. Misty stood up sharply, almost knocking her chair backwards onto the floor. "You go hang round the buffet like losers all day. Misty, May and I are going to do something fun."

"Oh come on Dawn," Drew said, "It'll be fun being at the buffet."

"Like yesterday and the day before that?" Misty said, "Not likely. This is supposed to be a relaxing holiday to celebrate all we've done in the past year."

"You can't celebrate without ice cream and cakes," Ash grumbled. The other two nodded in agreement. Dawn's eye drooped as she stared at the boys, not believing how moronic they were.

"Oh forget it," Misty snapped, "Let's go Dawn."

"Right behind you," Dawn said, following Misty as the red head turned sharply and strode out of the restaurant with her nose held high. Dawn glanced behind at the boys who were going about their usual behaviour as if nothing strange had happened. With a sigh, Dawn realised that her male friends were denser than usual boys.

"Honestly," Misty growled, "Stupid boys. All they can think about is food. We didn't come on this holiday to eat, I thought we came to have fun."

"Oh who cares about them," Dawn replied, "We should go out and have as much fun as we can."

"You're right," Misty agreed, "To the beach."

Dawn giggled at Misty's sudden good mood. That was one good thing about Misty, she was never upset for too long. She seemed to be able to cheer herself up quickly even after a row with Ash. The two of them laughed as they walked into the large entrance area of the Pokémon Centre they were staying in. They were going to turn to go up the stairs when suddenly a door opened in front of them and someone stumbled out of the room beyond.

"Blerg," May moaned as she burst out of the bathroom just as Dawn and Misty walked past door. May looked pale and sickly as she stumbled from the room, clutching onto Misty for support. "I feel so ill."

"You've been like this for days now, May," Misty scolded the brunette. Dawn noted Misty's concerned expression as she told May off like she wasn't really mad but only worried. May seemed to notice this too so didn't comment.

"I have no idea what it is," May complained, "I was fine until I walked past a guy and he was carrying this big plate of pancakes… I can't even think about it right now."

"So much for the beach," Misty sighed, "Come on, you'd better go and have a lay down."

"Beach?" May asked brightly, "So the guys agreed to that did they?"

"Not really," Dawn explained while Misty went red in the face, "They want to hang round the buffet place again."

"Urg, buffet," May moaned, clutching her stomach and grimacing.

"You must be ill," Dawn giggled, "You're saying no to food."

"Yeah well," May said slowly, "I'll be fine. I feel better already."

"If you're sure," Misty said.

"I want to go to the beach," May said finally, "So let's grab our stuff and go before I change my mind."

"Fine with me," Misty agreed with a nod. Dawn smiled and was just about to nod when something caused her to look away from her friends. She looked around the Pokémon Centre with a curious expression on her face, her heart pounding in her chest. Something didn't feel right here.

Everything was quiet. Hardly anyone was around either. Nurse Joy wasn't at the front desk and the only people in the room were walking towards doors to get either to the restaurant or to go outside. It was dead quiet in fact, eerily quiet. There was something wrong, Dawn could feel it in the way the hairs on the back of her neck bristled.

"Dawn?" Misty asked suddenly, nudging Dawn. The spell was broken and Dawn turned to stare blankly at Misty. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Dawn replied, rubbing her head, "Just spaced out, that's all."

"Sure?" Misty prompted, "We're not going if both of you are acting odd."

"I'm fine really," Dawn repeated, "Why don't you two go ahead? I want to give my…"

She was going to say mother as a quick excuse but was suddenly hit with the urge to cry. Her mother had died well over a year ago in suspicious circumstances while Dawn was on her journey, at least that's what the police had said at the time. In reality, Dawn knew that her mother had been murdered by people called the Kurai. Her eyes glazed over slightly as she thought about Paul and how he had comforted her when she had been upset. The way Akiko and Sayuri had replaced the void with motherly kindness and support while never actually treading into her mother's place.

"Sorry," Dawn said before Misty could say anything else, "I want to phone Ursula. For a second there I was going to say mum but I guess I forgot."

"It's alright," May said chirpily, trying to break the mood, "We'll be back down in ten minutes. We'll grab your stuff too."

"Thanks," Dawn muttered, "It's all packed."

With a nod from each of her friends, Dawn walked across the room as they climbed the stairs up to the room they were staying in. Dawn stopped walking the moment she knew she was alone. Her fingers automatically went to her belt where she plucked a blue and white Pokéball from its place. She flicked it into the air, releasing the only reminder of her time with the Akari onto the tiled floor of the Pokémon Centre.

"Lux?" Luxio asked, standing ready for a fight. The blue Pokémon seemed a little confused at being called out when there wasn't any immediate danger around. She stared up at Dawn, her yellow eyes wide in confusion.

"There's something not right here," Dawn said, "Could you have a look around for me?"

"Lux," Luxio agreed with a nod. Then she trotted off, all her senses peeled for the slightest inkling of trouble. Dawn paused then decided to actually make a phone call but not to Ursula, to another friend instead. It was all very strange but Ursula had fallen off the face of the earth a few months ago but Dawn wasn't worried. Ursula had mentioned she had completed her training and would be returning to her clan soon so when Dawn could no longer call her, she gathered Ursula had indeed gone back home.

Dawn watched the screen intently for a few seconds until a rather annoyed looking face appeared on the screen.

"Oh, Dawn," an almost surprised tone greeted her, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh no," Dawn replied, feeling her face heat up, "Sorry for disturbing you Master Brandon but I was wondering if you knew of any activity in my area. I keep feeling as though someone is watching me."

"Nothing's been reported, Dawn," Brandon told her after consulting a screen to his right. Dawn let out a soft sigh after Brandon told her this but he didn't complain at her for wasting his time. Instead his eyes glued onto her. "Just because it's not been reported doesn't mean something's happening."

"Right," Dawn said with a nod, "I'll keep my eyes open."

"You need to make sure you stay safe," Brandon told her sharply, "Remember you're one of the most important people in the Akari now. Do not take any chances."

"I won't," Dawn promised, "Sorry for disturbing you."

"Checking in never bothers me," Brandon said, "Just be careful."

"I will," Dawn said with a smile, "Good bye, Master."

"Good bye, Dawn," Brandon replied. The screen went black meaning that Brandon had finished the conversation. Dawn sighed once more at the blank screen before moving to get to her feet.

"Maybe it is a bad idea for us to become separated," Dawn mumbled to herself, "But what should I do? I know."

The only thing that caught Luxio's attention as being decidedly bad was an eruption of yelling coming from the restaurant a few minutes later. She was fast to go and check it out but she wasn't expecting to see Dawn holding Ash by the ear and yelling at him loudly.

"No buts!" Dawn screamed at him in a rather comical way, "It's about time you did stuff with us rather than stuffing your face so move it!"

"But Dawn," Ash moaned, "I want to go to the buffet!"

"You went there yesterday," Dawn replied, "And FYI, Drew."

Drew's ear perked as his name was mentioned. The green head turned to look at Dawn wondering why she was now speaking to him.

"Girls at the buffet? Please," Dawn said, "Everyone knows you only hang round the buffet because May enjoys food. She's going to the beach so why not go and impress her there instead."

"Hey!" Drew yelled, blushing furiously.

"Now move it!" Dawn shouted. She let go of Ash so he could rush from the scene along with Drew and Kenny. Once they were gone, Dawn put her hands on her hips looking quite annoyed. Her annoyance disappeared when she realised that every one in the room was staring at her.

"And that's how you get your stupid friends to go to the beach," Dawn said loudly with a wide smile on her face, "Ta-dah. Sorry for interrupting your breakfasts. Have a nice day."

She turned on her heel and left the room nonchalantly. Luxio followed feeling quite impressed that her mistress had handled herself quite well back there.

"Keep your eyes peeled, Luxio," Dawn muttered, "Something's going on here."

"Lux," Luxio agreed with a nod.

"I wonder if…" Dawn muttered. Luxio eyed her carefully, cluing into what Dawn was thinking.

"Lux lux," Luxio replied, "Luxio."

"You're right," Dawn said, "But we've got to be careful. Keeping everyone together is our best bet. Right?"

"Lux," Luxio agreed with another nod.

The pair fell quiet as they approached the main desk where Misty and May were stood giggling to each other about something. When they saw Dawn they instantly pounced on her, giving her tight hugs.

"You are brilliant, Dawnie," May praised her.

"How did you do it?" Misty asked. Dawn squirmed as her friends tightened their hold on her.

"Do what?" she managed to choke out.

"Get the boys to come with us?" Misty asked.

"Oh," Dawn replied, "Good old feminine charm."

"You yelled at them, didn't you?" May laughed loudly.

"Of course!" they chorused together, breaking out into a fit of giggles straight after. Luxio stood close to them, smiling to herself slightly.

However, Luxio failed to notice a red haired boy enter the building with a group of four others. They walked across the room to the front desk, walking casually as if they were part of some cool gang of people. The red head looked around the room, his eyes falling onto Dawn almost instantly. He stopped walking to stare at her.

She was stood talking to her friends with a pleasant smile on her face. Her sapphire eyes sparkled as she chatted animatedly. She slowly reached up and flicked out her hair majestically before her dainty fingers played with the white strap of her sun dress. Itsuki smiled at her.

"Gorgeous," he muttered to himself.

"Itsuki?" one of his friends hissed, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Itsuki replied, still staring at Dawn with a pleasant smile playing at his lips. He turned his back to her before she could see who he was. If possible he wanted to stay hidden away from her view, not wanting to drag her into their mess before her time.

"What's wrong?" one of his friends asked.

"It's alright," Itsuki replied, "I just saw someone I knew but she doesn't recognise me. That's good."

"You better hope she doesn't recognise you."

Itsuki felt a chill run up his spine as he stood at the front desk. Her eyes were on him. He refused to look at her again. If she saw him then she may question why they were there making the situation very sticky for all of them. If anything happened to her then Kiboi would go spare and then he'd have to deal with Shinji… Itsuki remembered the last time he had fought Shinji, his side giving an unpleasant twinge where he had been hurt. Ever since then Itsuki had avoided Shinji at all costs.

"Dude, she's staring at you," one of the guys whispered, giving Itsuki a nudge.

"Ignore her," Itsuki told them, "We're not here to pick up girls, are we?"

"No," the guy groaned, "Kiboji would kill us."

Dawn stared at the group of five men who had just entered the centre, eying their leader with more interest than the others. His red hair seemed to be familiar as did the grey t-shirt and black trouser combo he was wearing.

"Something wrong?" May asked her.

"No, nothing," Dawn replied, "Just wondering where the guys are."

"Geez Dawn," Misty groaned, "If you're going to be spaced out all day, you're going to get left behind."

"Hmph," Dawn snapped, smirking in a rather Paul like manner, "I'm not spaced out, I'm just thinking."

"Even worse," May laughed.

"I have to admit though," Misty said slowly, "They do look kind of hot."

"Which one?" May asked.

"All of them," Misty giggled.

Dawn's eyes snapped towards the front desk just as the group of five men turned round to exit the centre. The one with red hair looked at her, seeming shocked to see that his eyes met with hers. Dawn blinked a few times as she followed his eyes across the room. Their eyes bore into each others until he had to look forwards to avoid walking into anything. Once he was out of the door, Dawn let out a breath she didn't even realise she was holding.

"Itsuki," she muttered.

**So what is Itsuki doing there? Oooo... Anyway, update will be next Friday!**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	3. Kōgeki

**Erg… this week has been tiring, too tiring in fact. **

**Thanks to lightwolfheart, pokemonpuppy23, ninetailsgirl94, AwesomeWolfLover, Sjir-sama, Angie188, aura the lucario, Starfire1407, splitheart1120, RusaPokeHOA39 and xRissychanx for reviewing!**

**Chapter Three: Kōgeki**

Dawn was still in a daze as she stepped on the hot white sand of the beach. She grimaced at the feeling of hot pin pricks on her heel but didn't move one inch. Her eyes were washing over the beach area carefully like she was inspecting every inch of it. Luxio sat next to her, idly watching her surroundings with an almost bored look on her face.

"Nothing odd," Dawn mumbled, "Maybe I'm just over reacting but that was Itsuki… Wasn't it?"

Dawn looked down at Luxio who merely shrugged. Luxio had never had the pleasure of meeting Itsuki in the first place so she wouldn't know him from anywhere. Dawn frowned as she followed Misty onto the beach, keeping quiet as Misty told Ash and Drew about the hot guys who had popped into the Pokémon Centre earlier on.

"Yeah," May added suddenly, "I really wish I knew where they were going. I bet I could have convinced one of them to buy me an ice cream."

"What would you do, June?" Drew asked sarcastically, "Go up to them and boom 'fed me' at them?"

"Hush you," May replied coldly. She rolled her eyes, turning back to Misty who was still smiling weirdly.

"They looked so cool," Misty said, "With leather jackets, black jeans and the handsomest faces I've ever seen. A few of them were wearing the coolest sunglasses I have ever seen."

"I would stay away from them if I were you," Dawn said suddenly, "I've seen people like that before and they're up to no good."

"Really?" Misty asked, sounding suspicious, "When have you seen them?"

"I…" Dawn stopped herself from replying straight away. The question was easily answered but that wasn't the reason why Dawn stopped. She went totally still, her eyes widening as she stood on the spot, staring at Misty.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked.

Kenny, who had been walking ahead of the group, slowed down his pace so he could see why his friends had stopped following him. He saw Dawn's expression and became confused.

"What's going on?" Kenny yelled.

"Luxio," Dawn hollered, "Use Iron Tail!"

Luxio jumped into action instantly. She jumped into the air so she could do a somersault, making her tail become metallic before whacking a rather large orb of dark energy away from the teens. However upon contact the orb disintegrated, causing a shadow-like mist to close in round Luxio.

"Lux lux!" Luxio yelped.

"Luxio," Dawn said hurriedly but she didn't rush to help out her Pokémon. Instead she bit her lip and stared round for anymore signs of danger. Why now after all this time? Why were they being attacked here of all places.

"What is that thing?" Misty gasped as Luxio let off a powerful discharge attack. The mist fell to the floor, now looking like soot. Luxio growled, her shackles raised as she readied herself for another attack.

"Luxio?" Dawn muttered, "What is that?"

Along the beach somewhere, another orb of black came shooting towards the group. Dawn's eyes narrowed as she raised her hand up. With reasonably little effort she launched a counter attack, causing a mild explosion a few feet away. However this had just made everything worse. The moment the black orb had exploded it had released thick black mist like before.

"Get down!" Dawn yelled to her friends.

But it was too late. Dawn heard quiet pops all around her followed by bursts of thick black mist. They were surrounded. Dawn looked round at their attackers, each of them were clad totally in black, head to toe. No skin was exposed, not even their eyes, instead they wore menacing looking goggles with black lenses.

"What's going on?" Misty shouted loudly. Dawn glanced behind her to see all of her friends had dropped to the floor like she had told them too, some a little more graceful than others. Drew had his hands on his hair while he glared up at a nearby attacker. May was sat on her knees with her arms shielding her face. Ash looked like he was taking a bite out of the earth with his face flat in the sand and his butt sticking up in the air. Both Kenny and Misty were laid on their stomachs looking quite annoyed.

"Who are these weirdoes?" Kenny added.

"What do you want?" Dawn snapped as she looked round, "How dare you attack us."

"Dawn," May squeaked, "Maybe be a little bit nicer to them?"

One of the warriors spoke in a language Dawn wasn't able to understand although it sounded distinctly like Mandarin. Dawn blinked at the nearest warrior.

"What did he say? In English if you don't mind," Dawn asked sheepishly. Beside her, Luxio rolled her eyes.

"He said," said someone who was not in the circle, "They are here for her."

Dawn yelped and hastily curled up into a ball. Not a moment too soon because she felt something warm and wet splatter her soon after. She opened her eyes and looked up to see a rather bloodied warrior with a katana sticking out of his chest.

"Score!" someone cheered.

"Luxio, discharge!" Dawn ordered. Luxio pounced on the warrior, shocking him with a blast of electricity. He did not fall down. Dawn blinked a few times wondering what was going on. Why wasn't he dying?

The warrior turned sharply and stepped to the side, revealing one of the men from the Pokémon Centre earlier. He was blonde with dark black eyes, wearing a leather jacket and jeans, both black.

"Erm… Itsuki… He's not dying," the guy said, his expression wide.

"Move!" Dawn yelled. Slice.

The blonde haired guy fell limply to the floor in a heap of scarlet. Dawn stared at him not even hearing Misty and May's screams on terror in the background.

"We've got to run," Kenny said. He sounded panicked but in the current circumstances, Dawn couldn't bring herself to berate him.

"Erg." Another one of the guys fell onto the sand, dead.

"It's a blood bath," Drew grimaced as another one of the guys fell to the ground beside him. Close to Drew, Ash was watching the fight closely to see if there was a way to escape. As the seconds ticked by he noticed a gap in the formation. He nudged Drew who nodded in reply. They each grabbed a girl, and Kenny, by the wrist to communicate the pan to them.

"Let's go," Ash ordered. He got to his feet only to be pushed back down by one of the all-in-black men. Dawn climbed to her feet, frowning.

"Leave them alone," she snapped. She raised her hand shooting a small blast of white energy at the man who had pushed down Ash. The small ball shot right through his heart making him wobble before crashing to the floor.

Instantly every pair of eyes, goggled or not, were on Dawn. She quickly pulled her hand into her body.

"Oops," she muttered, "Bad move."

"Dawn!" Misty screamed as one of the all black warriors swung a thick bladed sword in Dawn's direction. Dawn barely had time to look to her left before the sword struck flesh. Itsuki let out a strangled yell as he fell onto the floor, his hand grasping where the sword had just sliced him. Dawn dropped to her knees to help him.

"Itsuki," she mumbled, "You idiot."

"If you die, I die," he replied shortly, "Now do me a favour and run."

"No way," Dawn barked back, "I'm not leaving you or my friends."

"Go," Itsuki hissed. There was another groan a few feet away as the last of the men Itsuki was with crashed to the floor dead. Itsuki's eyes widened in shock. "This is it."

"Get up and fight," Dawn told him, "I'll help you."

"Run damn it," Itsuki snapped at her. He turned his head to glare at her, almost taken aback when he saw her determined gaze on him. "You're mental."

"Yup," Dawn agreed. She looked round. "Luxio, use discharge like we practised."

Luxio nodded, jumping into the air. Her fur crackled with static electricity then she created a net of sparks, hitting each of the black clad warriors. While they were stunned by Luxio's attack, Dawn and Itsuki got to their feet.

"I want you to run," Dawn told her friends, "Just go."

"But-" May said but then she gripped her mouth.

"May?" Misty asked. She turned to Drew. "She's sick. We need to get her out of here."

"Right," Drew agreed, "Ash, Kenny: a little help here."

"Sure," Kenny said.

Convinced her friends were going to do as they were told, Dawn turned her attention back to the fight at hand. Luxio's attack had finished and now all the warriors were staring at her and Itsuki. Itsuki wheezed as he stood ready for an attack, his wound bleeding liberally all over the sand.

"If I die," Itsuki muttered, "Promise me you'll run for it."

"You won't die," Dawn replied, "I won't let it."

"You die," Itsuki told her sharply, "And we're all screwed, darling."

"You haven't changed," Dawn mused.

Dawn jumped out of the way to avoid a small dagger becoming lodged in her foot. She did a graceful pirouette in the air then shot an aura attack at her attacker. Again it caught them in the heart and he fell to the floor.

One down, Dawn said to herself. She must have taken down three more before one laid on attack on her. She grimaced as her arm was sliced by a short sword. It wasn't too bad but it made Dawn yelp out loud. Luxio and Itsuki weren't doing too well either. Luxio was limping while Itsuki was constantly gasping for air. She glanced at them.

"Time to run," she ordered. They nodded in agreement and took off, running towards the edge of the beach where Dawn's friends were struggling to guide May and Misty to safety.

"Dawn look out!" she heard Misty scream.

Something wrapped itself round Dawn's ankles and yanked her feet from underneath her. She yelped as she crashed into the sand. Luxio skidded to a halt only to be shot with an aura attack. Itsuki tried to stop but toppled over into the sand, cursing his injury as he writhed in pain.

Dawn rolled onto her back ready to fight her way out of this but her captor was already standing over her. He was holding a metal rope in one hand, the same rope which had caused her to fall over, and a katana in the other. He held the sword up to the sky ready to bring it down on her.

"Dawn!" she heard her friends shouting from the edge of the beach. Dawn's eyes widened as the sword glinted menacingly. She closed her eyes as she saw the warrior twitch his muscles signalling he was going to dispatch her.

"NO!" she heard Itsuki yell.

Then nothing but a clink. No pain came to her nor did anything else happen apart from a weird chill across her stomach. Confused as to why she was dying she opened her eyes.

Two legs were straddling her body. They were covered in black jeans. Dawn's eyes travelled up the stranger's body. He was tall and muscular, wearing all black with shoulder length purple hair. In his right hand was a familiar looking sword which was blocking the attack from the black clad warrior.

"Not so smart," the guy told the warrior who had just tried to kill Dawn. He slowly reached out with his free hand and put a palm on the warrior's chest. There was a bright flash of light then the warrior wobbled. The guy standing over Dawn let it fall to the side. Dawn watched as the warrior landed on the sand, staring at it intently to make sure it was dead. Her eyes soon returned to the remaining warriors who were now disappearing quickly into thick black mist.

"Strange," the man standing over Dawn remarked in a monotone. He stepped off her then turned round so he could stare down at her. His black eyes sparkled with amusement as she laid on the sand staring wide eyed back at him. "You're at it again… Troublesome."

Anger bubbled in Dawn suddenly. She jumped to her feet and rounded on the purple haired jerk who had just saved her life.

"Two years and that's all I get?" she yelled.

"Sorry," he replied, "But you do have the knack of finding trouble."

"I know," Dawn moaned. She looked round at the beach. The bodies of the warriors were slowly dissolving into black dust. "What's happening?"

"I don't know," Paul replied. His eyes turned onto Itsuki who was struggling to get onto his feet. Paul walked over to him to assist him but he only did this by grabbing Itsuki's t-shirt and hoisting him onto his feet roughly.

"Ow," Itsuki hissed.

"What are you doing here?" Paul barked at him.

"Orders," Itsuki replied, "Sorry. I had no idea what these warriors were."

"What are they?" Dawn asked calmly. She walked over to Luxio and returned the wounded Pokémon to her blue and white ball. Poor Luxio, Dawn thought, she deserves a good rest.

"We have no clue," Itsuki replied irritably.

"And the others?" Paul prompted.

"Dead," Itsuki snapped.

"Dawn, help him," Paul said. Dawn hurried to support Itsuki by putting his arm round her shoulders. She half carried him over to her friends who were stood in various stages of shock and horror by the side of the beach. None of them were moving or speaking, they were just staring at the beach.

"We should leave now," Itsuki told them, "If you don't mind taking me to the Pokémon Centre."

"Let's go," Dawn agreed. No one moved for a second until May grimaced. She clutched her stomach before emptying all of its contents onto the pavement in front of her.

**Well, they're back together no but how will the others react to this sort of thing? Another update will happen next week ^_^**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	4. Hanasu

**So, I haven't forgotten. I have to be honest with you guys, I have had _no_ time this week to write more on Kage because I had an interview for an internship which I had to prepare for like mad! The work load is steadily getting worse for me but I am determined to write more this weekend! Yus.**

**Thanks to Sjir-sama, LovelyLily13, pokemonpuppy23, lightwolfheart, AwesomeWolfLover, aura the lucario, Splitheart1120, Angie188, RaveOn21turned23, ninetailsgirl94, Dani4Short, Horselover, BitterGlitter (nice name ;)) and lonewolfgirl-sademo588 for reviewing! Wow, such a long list! Thank you so much! ^_^**

**Chapter Four: Hanasu**

"Ow," Itsuki hissed as Paul finished tying the fourth obi around Itsuki's belt. The two guys glared at each other for a few seconds before Paul rose to his feet and walked away.

"So those four are…" Misty whimpered.

"Dead," Itsuki replied.

"And who were those other guys in black?" Drew asked. The mood that hung over the group of teens in the small room of the girls' was thick with sadness. May was currently in the bathroom with Kenny, regurgitating water down the toilet. Dawn was stood by the end of her bed with her arms folded. She turned her head to look at Paul as he walked up to her. He stood next to her, hands in his pockets.

"They were after someone," Ash snapped. Paul glanced at Ash who was sat on Dawn's bed only to be greeted with a dead glare.

"Dawn," Itsuki said instantly.

"What have I done this time?" Dawn sighed. Beside her, Paul smirked.

"I don't think it was her," Drew said slowly, "I mean if they were after Dawn they would have not bothered talking to her. They would have grabbed her and gone before any of us could do anything."

"And they would not have tried to kill her," Paul added, "Because that would have alerted me."

"Which it did, I see," Dawn said, "If I had known that almost dying would have brought you straight to my side, I would have attempted it earlier."

"Please don't do that," Paul told her, "Besides, I was already looking for you. I'm glad that Itsuki found you before any real harm could happen."

"Is that a thank you?" Itsuki asked, sounding surprised as he looked up at Paul. Paul nodded once.

"So you two know each other?" Misty asked Itsuki and Paul, who nodded, "And Dawn knows both of you?"

"How?" Drew added.

"Well…" Itsuki said then gave up. Paul and Dawn looked at each other, waiting for some to start the story of how they met.

"It's a long story," Dawn replied finally, "I met Paul first then I met Itsuki."

"Met? You didn't meet him, he kidnapped you!" Ash yelled. Everyone turned to look at Ash in a confused manner. Ash seemed surprised at his own behaviour too, his eyes widened in confusion.

"It looks like Isamu's mind thing is wearing off him," Paul commented. He jumped slightly as Dawn suddenly clipped him on the arm. "What?"

"You never told me that's what happened to them," she told him angrily, "When you abandoned me-"

"I didn't abandon you," Paul interjected, only to be ignored.

"Outside Sunnyshore City, I met Ash and Brock and they didn't remember anything," Dawn went on, "Even though I told them I was fine and that all the bad stuff was behind us, they seemed totally confused and went on to ask me how my contest training with 'that Akiko woman' went."

"Akiko? Really?" Paul asked, "Is that all Isamu thinks about?"

"You're an idiot," Dawn replied moodily.

"But you did go to train with a top co-ordinator," Ash said, "I remember it."

"You think you remember it," Paul replied.

"We met you at a shrine then…" Ash rubbed his head in a pained way.

"Don't think about it," Paul told him, "It will give you a headache."

"I'm lost," Drew admitted.

"So why did they all run away when you arrived?" Misty asked.

"More to the point," Kenny said as he stepped out of the bathroom with his arms crossed, "How did you arrive?"

Paul glanced at Dawn then closed his eyes. He disappeared into black smoke only to reappear lying on the top bunk of the bed a few seconds later. This caused Misty and Drew to jump up out of their seats on the bottom bunk in pure shock. They both stared wide eyed up at Paul. Paul, on the other hand, looked rather confused as he picked up a health leaflet from underneath the pillow of the bed.

"Dawn," he stated, "What's this?"

"What's what?" she asked, taking a few steps to the bed. She needn't have bothered because Paul disappeared and re-appeared next to her seconds later. She turned lazily to see what he was holding in his hand. Her eyes widened greatly as she looked from the leaflet to Paul's questioning gaze. Slowly a pink flush rose up on her cheeks. "It's not mine!"

"I never said it was," Paul replied.

"I mean…" Dawn trailed off, "You know…"

"You know what?" Itsuki asked, leaning forwards and grinning.

"Sixteen, Itsuki," Paul snapped back at Itsuki. Itsuki raised his hands up slowly in surrender.

"What are you two going on about?" Ash asked.

"Nothing," Dawn replied hurriedly. She turned to Misty, showing her the leaflet. "Is this yours?"

"No," Misty said slowly, "Why would I get a leaflet for that? Catholic, honey."

"You're catholic?" Drew asked, sounding quite amused by the information. Misty nodded a few times looking quite proud with herself. "I never knew."

"Yup," Misty said, "Since I was born. Ever wondered why I left the campsite early each evening."

"Evening prayers," Drew mused, "Such an angel, you are."

"Then if it's not hers or Dawn's," Kenny said, breaking up Misty and Drew's conversation, "Then it must be…"

"May?" Misty asked loudly. Now that everyone turned to look at the bathroom door, they realised that May had gone completely quiet. Paul shifted uncomfortably on the spot for a second before he strode to the bathroom.

He returned a few seconds later carrying an unconscious May in his arms. He looked quite amused by the fact the brunette had fainted but didn't comment on it, not daring to risk Dawn or Misty yelling at him.

"It's been a long day," Kenny said finally, "Perhaps we should all get some rest."

"That's not a bad idea," Ash agreed.

Paul was sat watching as Ash ravished a t-bone steak not half an hour later. Drew was mindlessly nibbling a couple of fries which had come with his burger. Kenny was eating his burger whilst glowering at Paul. All of them were staring at him like they weren't quite sure what he was going to do.

Unlike them, Paul wasn't eating. He was just lounging on his chair waiting for Misty and Dawn to come back from their room. They had been given strict instructions to leave May alone so that they could get some food, Dawn's Luxio and Itsuki would be watching over the brunette for the time being.

"Are you just going to stare at me all night?" Paul asked the three guys. Only their unwavering gazes answered his question. With a sigh, Paul plucked a Pokéball from his belt and released his most faithful partner.

"Ray."

"Cool," Drew commented as Paul shuffled forwards on his chair.

"I need you to keep an ear out, alright?" Paul asked. Luxray eyed the three strangers around the table carefully, then nodded once. Promptly he curled up and went to sleep.

"Try training your Pokémon better," Kenny told Paul, "Then he might listen to you."

Luxray raised his head, giving Kenny a deathly glare with his large yellow eyes. Kenny gulped nervously. Luxray then became interested the pair of girls coming their way. In a matter of seconds he was up on his paws, his tail waving side to side.

"Who's is that?" Misty asked the moment she saw the scary looking Luxray. Dawn let out a squeal and rushed to give Luxray a hug, dropping to her knees so that Luxray could hug her back.

"Ray ray," Luxray purred as Dawn hugged him round the neck.

"Luxray," Dawn giggled, "You've grown so big."

"Ray," Luxray agreed.

"So you let him evolve?" Dawn asked, turning her eyes onto Paul. Paul gave a nonchalant shrug.

"If I had my way he'd still be a Shinx," Paul replied, "But he was adamant he evolved into a Luxray. Said something about making a better impression on someone."

"You're fine the way you are," Dawn told Luxray in a mock motherly tone. She pulled away from him so she could tap his nose gently. "Shinx or Luxray."

"Wait… A Shinx?" Ash asked, "I remember… Er, headache."

"I told you," Paul snapped, "Don't try to think. You'll just hurt yourself."

"I know I've joked about it in the past," Misty remarked, taking a seat opposite Paul, "But really?"

Dawn sat down on a spare chair next to Paul, still tickling Luxray behind the ears. She seemed to be rather wrapped up in the Pokémon to hear what was going on with her friends.

"So I want answers," Kenny demanded, "Who were those people on the beach?"

"Warriors," Paul replied calmly, "Of what clan I don't know."

"Clan?" Ash asked.

"You've heard of ninjas and samurais, right?" Paul explained, taking it down the lowest level he could think of. Slowly everyone at the table, bar Dawn who was still preoccupied with Luxray, nodded at him. "Well, they are still around in the form of various clans who train in the martial arts."

"With you so far," Drew commented.

"Then who were they?" Kenny repeated.

"I have no idea," Paul replied honestly, "They weren't like any warrior I have seen before."

"And why would they attack us?" Kenny asked.

"I don't know that either," Paul replied, still sounding quite calm.

"Well you're some lot of help," Kenny snapped, "We almost get killed and you have no answers for us. Why are you here in the first place?"

Paul thought about this for a moment during which time Dawn stopped scratching Luxray and tuned into the conversation. Finally, with all six pairs of eyes looking at him Paul said: "Something's wrong. I felt that something was going to happen and decided to make sure Dawn was alright and somehow convince her to go back to my brothers where it is safe."

"What's wrong?" Kenny asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, "And why Dawn?"

"Because," Paul paused again. He glanced at her to see what she was thinking but, upon seeing her confused expression, decided she had no clue. He rolled his eyes. "Because I love Dawn and I was worried about her safety."

"Awww," Misty sighed.

"Say what?" Kenny and Ash snapped at Paul.

"That's sort of sweet and all," Drew said, "But if you love her why aren't you with her all the time?"

"I had to go to complete some training with a master," Paul explained slowly, "Master Toma, but Dawn couldn't come with me. Instead of her staying with my two useless brothers and trying to resist killing them on a daily basis, I convinced her to travel for two years until my training was complete."

"Thus why I am here," Dawn concluded.

"So you've been training to kill people, like those warriors today?" Drew asked before Kenny or Ash could throw another question Paul's way. Misty seemed interested in this too.

"Like I said, there are clans of warriors. There are three major clans: Akari, Kurai and Churitsu," Paul explained, "I'm… an oddity. My father was the leader of the Akari Clan-"

"Was?" Kenny asked.

"Yes," Paul replied through gritted teeth, "And my mother is the oldest daughter of the leader of the Churitsu Tribe. I'm half Akari, half Churitsu."

"And that matters because?" Kenny asked.

"I am the only one of my kind," Paul replied, "There is another… hybrid, as they call us, a half Churitsu, half Kurai prince called Tatsu. He's a personal friend now but he's tried to kill me before. And Dawn… And my brother, Kiboji."

"Nice guy," Drew commented.

"Actually, yes," Paul said with a nod.

"And where does Dawn come into all this?" Kenny asked, turning his eyes onto Dawn.

"Well, the bad guys decided they wanted to kill me but then Paul saved me, dragged me off to his crazy family, almost died… three times to save me-"

"That's one heck of a commitment," Misty commented.

"-Then rescued me when I got kidnapped and together we saved the world," Dawn told them rather quickly. Paul nodded in agreement.

"Sounds romantic," Misty giggled.

"I don't like you," Kenny stated, directing this to Paul. Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I couldn't tell," Paul replied.

"So what should we do now?" Drew asked.

"Get some rest," Paul replied, "Then tomorrow, we should leave."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Misty said.

"I'll get Itsuki to move out of your room," Paul told Dawn and Misty, "I'll stay with you tonight."

"Fine by us," Misty and Dawn chanted.

"Say what?" Kenny and Ash yelled.

**Poor Paul. He's surrounded by weird teenagers ^_^ And Shinx evolved! But for what reason, hmmm…. Well, I know, but it's a secret *shush*. **

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	5. Tegami

**The computer is hating me right now so I'll keep this short. In fact, I'm hating me right now. I'm just so worn out T_T**

**Thanks to LovelyLily13, xRissychanx, AwesomeWolfLover, pokemonpuppy23, FairoNeko, Kitsune300, lonewolfgirl-sademo588, Sjir-sama, RaveOn21turned23, BitterGlitter, Dani4Short, splitheart1120, ninetailsgirl94 and Angie188 for reviewing.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and OCs**

**Chapter Five: Tegami**

Paul's eyes flew open and he tensed his body to make sure he didn't attack the thing which was poking his cheek. He casually turned his head to the side to look into Dawn's bright blue eyes.

"What?" he mumbled.

"I wanted to talk to you," Dawn muttered back, "Let's go for a walk. Now's the best time."

"You do this often?" Paul asked as he threw the duvet off of him and rolled off his back. Dawn nodded. She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bed, leading him out of the room and into the corridor beyond. Paul stumbled so much that he fell into the wall opposite the door. He glared at Dawn as she casually closed the door behind her then dragged him down the corridor.

"Arceus, Dawn," he scolded her on the third time he tripped over. She ignored him, pulling him sharply outside onto a balcony. Only once the glass door was closed did she turn to him.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's alright," Paul replied, "I guess I'm out of practice."

"I missed you," Dawn stated, "And I'm glad you're alright."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Paul asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Dawn giggled at him then flung her arms round his neck. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into a tight embrace, nuzzling her neck gently.

"I've been counting down the days," Dawn went on, "And you lied to me."

"When?"

"When you said I'd have two years jerk free," Dawn laughed, "I got rid of you then I got saddled with three more."

"Poor you," Paul commented. Dawn pulled away from him looking down at the floor. A blush ran across her checks and she avoided his gaze at all costs. Paul titled his head to the side in confusion at her action. "What?"

"Did you miss me?" she asked quietly.

"Did I miss you?" Paul repeated, smirking at her, "Every morning Toma would have to kick me out of bed and give me the 'stop pinning for that beautiful girl and man up' speech."

"Really?" Dawn giggled. Paul nodded once.

"Please don't repeat that story to anyone. I will deny it," Paul told her. Dawn nodded then hugged him once again. She rested her head on his chest, noting how much taller he had actually gotten. He'd grown up so much in the one and half years since she last saw him, it was scary.

She tapped his back with the ends of her fingers as she thought about the last year. She had had fun with her friends but she was ready to go home. She was ready to become an Akari for real now.

"You haven't completed your training," she stated.

"No," Paul admitted, "I left before Toma said I was ready."

"So you'll be going back?" Dawn asked. To this Paul shrugged.

"Toma wanted me to leave so maybe my mother would finish training me," Paul replied. Dawn looked up at him, smiling. "What?"

"You called Akiko mother," Dawn said, "It's nice to hear."

"Dawn, there is something I need to tell you," Paul said. He pulled away from her but kept hold of her hands. Dawn stared up into his eyes, her lips forming a small 'o'. Paul's expression was deadly serious, his eyebrows were hanging lowly over his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked.

"The reason I came to find you is because I got the news a few days ago that Etsuo…" Paul stopped here and took in a breath, "Etsuo's been killed."

"Etsuo?" Dawn gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth automatically. Tears stung her eyes bitterly. "He's dead?"

"Killed by those warriors we came across today," Paul nodded, "It's probably why Itsuki and the rest of Etsuo's men were up here: Hunting for his killers."

"Not Etsuo," Dawn mumbled.

"Apparently Isamu's taking it rather badly," Paul went on, "Both Sayuri and Akiko haven't said anything yet although I doubt my mother would have been told yet. Kibo came to me directly and suggested I came to tell you."

"Thanks," Dawn said.

"By the time he suggested I should go and find you… I was already packing my bags," Paul added, "Now with your friends involved… Something bad is happening, Dawn. We need to move. If we head west we'll come across some shrines where we will be able to take your friends into the safety of headquarters-"

"I forgot how you speak during a crisis," Dawn cut him off, "So mechanical and calm."

"Sorry," Paul said but Dawn shook her head.

"No, it's fine," she replied, "It's actually quite soothing to know someone is in control."

"About your friend May," Paul said.

"I'm sure she'll be fine tomorrow," Dawn muttered, "Must have picked up a sickness bug somewhere."

"Dawn, she had a health leaflet about-"

"I know, I know," Dawn hissed, casting Paul a dirty look. He fell silent at this, folding his arms over his chest and staring at his wife in a concerned way.

"Cry," he told her, "I prefer it when you cry."

"Sorry," Dawn said, "I just can't afford to break down right now."

"There's time," Paul said, "Out of the two of us, you're the one who has the emotions. Don't you dare turn into me."

Dawn laughed softly at his tone. She stepped forwards with open arms, showing him that she wanted a hug. He obliged, pulling her swiftly into the safety of his body as she began to sob quietly. Relief spread through Paul's veins. She was still his Dawn, still his innocent, kind wife. She had grown up but she was still as she was beforehand.

"We should get some sleep," Paul said finally.

"S-sure…" Dawn muttered in reply.

"Wak- are you two snuggling?" Misty asked the next morning. She raised a curious eyebrow as she stood in the doorway of the boys' room to find that Ash was bear hugging Drew in the most peculiar manner. Drew opened his eyes slowly, then frowned. With a yelp and a muted scream, he pushed Ash away from him.

"Damn it, Ash!" he roared, waking up Kenny and Itsuki in the process, "Stop falling out of the bunk!"

"What did I do?" Ash moaned, still half asleep. Drew shook the black haired boy roughly until he was awake and annoyed.

"Awww," Misty teased, "Ashykins and Drewy-bear are snuggle buddies."

"I like her," Itsuki commented as he grinned at Misty, "Just like my wife."

"You're married?" Kenny asked.

"All supremely good warriors are married," Itsuki replied haughtily, "They need a woman behind them."

"You're not going to spiel some sexist rubbish again, are you?" Dawn asked as she entered the room.

"Dawn-sama, I say this with great respect but my lovely wife hits twice as hard as you and Kiboji-sama tends to take her side," Itsuki retorted.

"Sounds like he has the right end of the stick," Dawn muttered darkly. Itsuki jumped up out of his bed and began to stretch out his body. Everyone, but Dawn, stared at him blankly.

"Should you be doing exercise when you're injured?" Kenny asked finally.

"I'm not injured," Itsuki replied, "Not anymore."

"How is that possible?" Ash hissed at Drew in a stage whisper.

"Dunno," Drew mumbled in reply.

"Hurry up, Itsuki!" Paul's annoyed voice snapped from down the corridor.

"Keep your shorts on," Itsuki replied. Itsuki cringed at his own words because he knew that Paul would tell him off for his retort. Sure enough not two ticks later, Paul appeared in the room with his familiar black smoke. Paul sized Itsuki up, glowering down at the red haired warrior. Itsuki took a step backwards and bowed several times. "Forgive me, Shinji-sama."

"Just hurry up," Paul spat then disappeared. Itsuki turned to Dawn, glaring at her.

"This is what the rest of my life is going to be like, is it?" he asked in a faux calm tone.

"Your problem, not mine," Dawn replied, "He actually likes me."

"Charmed," Itsuki muttered.

"Just hurry up like he asks," Dawn said, "All of you."

"Fine," Drew groaned. Paul appeared in the room again, this time next to Dawn. He clamped a hand on her shoulder then they both disappeared.

"So Itsuki," Misty asked, "What's with those two anyway?"

"Hmm?" Itsuki, who was now touching his toes, asked.

"You know… are they dating?" Kenny pressed on. Itsuki stood up straight, placing his hands on his hips. He blinked a few times before he let out a laugh.

"Are they dating? Are they… Ha!" Itsuki laughed, "Good one."

With that he walked into the bathroom to wash his face. Kenny let out an audible growl.

"If he does anything to hurt her," Kenny snapped.

"I don't think he will," Drew said, "He's a jerk but he loves her."

"I agree," Ash agreed, "Something in my memory tells me that I can trust Paul with Dawn. He only wants what's best for her and he's looked after her thus far."

"That's true," Misty said.

"But still…" Kenny growled.

"Where are we heading, anyway?" Drew asked in attempt to move on the conversation. He directed this question at Misty.

"To some shrine west of here," Misty replied vaguely, "Paul was sketchy on the details."

"Hurry up, people," Itsuki announced as he strolled out of the bathroom, "Shinji will kill you if you make him late."

There was a pause as everyone stared at him oddly.

"WHO THE HECK IS SHINJI!" they roared at the same time.

~K~

"Akiko-sensei," mumbled a squeaky voice. The raven haired woman in question looked up from staring out of her bedroom window to smile at the young boy who was stood in her doorway. He looked rather nervous about talking to her but of course she expected this from him.

"Yes?" she asked idly.

"I have a letter for you," the boy said, "From Master Toma."

"Oh," Akiko said dully, "What is it this time? I wonder how Shinji is coming along."

The boy handed the letter to Akiko gently then waited just in case she wanted to send a reply instantly. With a nonchalant expression on her face, Akiko pulled the envelope apart then read the hastily scribbled Chinese on the parchment. Master Toma was never known for his neat handwriting.

_Kiko, dear,_

_Firstly let me congratulate you on a year away from that moronic fool you call husband. It must be hard for you to be so far away from your mate but the brief breath of fresh air must be doing wonders for you._

Akiko snorted.

_Secondly, I am sorry to hear about the loss of Etsuo._

"Loss?" Akiko mused out loud, her brow furrowing.

_He was such a noble lad, I must admit, fighting to the very end like he would have wanted. I hope you and your family take comfort in this. Bravery is a trait we would all love to have but Etsuo is a prime example of courage in the face of danger. I send my condolences to you._

_Finally, Shinji went looking for his wife. Seems to be a bit on edge after hearing about poor Etsuo's demise._

"What?" Akiko barked at the paper. She looked up from the letter, glaring at the boy who had brought it. He quivered a little on the spot under her intense glare but stayed glued to his spot. Finally Akiko waved her hand and dismissed him (he was only too happy to oblige).

"Why am I always the last one to know?" she hissed at the letter, "Etsuo… dead? Now Shinji's gone too."

She walked over to her bed where she hastily threw a selection of jeans and t-shirts from her wardrobe onto the duvet.

"Family," she snapped as she began to untie her obi, "Bloody mental."

~K~

"How much further?" Ash moaned.

"Not long now, Ash," Itsuki replied brightly, "Just over this stream, round this mountain and a mile after that."

"A mile!" Ash yelped, "But we've been walking for days!"

"Only about three hours, Ash," Drew corrected him.

"Maybe we would be there already if someone didn't need to stop to take 'breathers'," Misty teased. Everyone turned to look at Kenny who had gone a subtle shade of magenta. Even May, who had been looking considerably green all morning, laughed. Paul was the only one who didn't seem to find their situation funny but then again, no body expected anything else.

"Keep moving," Paul told them.

"Come on, Shinji-sama, chill out," Itsuki replied. Paul turned his head to glare at the warrior but decided against it as he noted Dawn was about to trip over a loose root. He extended his hand in time to grab her collar and yank her back to her feet.

"Thanks," she giggled.

"Troublesome," he murmured under his breath even though she was expecting him to say that. She merely continued her conversation with Misty and May as if they were going on a leisurely stroll as part as their holiday.

"So Itsuki," Drew said suddenly, "You said you were married. What's her name?"

"The Dragon," Itsuki replied, "The Pink Dragon."

"Nice," Drew commented, realising he wasn't going to get anything else out of the warrior. Instead Drew turned his attention to Paul. "So are you married, Paul?"

Paul barely flinched at the question but Dawn almost fell over her own feet, causing Paul to quickly reach out to haul her to her feet again. He gave her a pointed glare, telling her to be more careful than she was being.

"Yes, I am," Paul replied calmly.

"Man do I feel sorry for her," Kenny said, "Having to put up with your grumpy face each and every day."

"Hikari is a well respected member of our clan," Paul said, glancing at Itsuki who merely nodded, "She sees far beyond my grumpy face."

"Oh I remember Hikari," Itsuki said loudly, "The way you fought for her was superb."

"You're just saying that because I almost killed you," Paul said airily, a certain haughtiness leaking from his tone. Dawn scowled at this.

"Yeah," Itsuki grunted, rubbing his side, "I remember it well."

"I am lucky to have Hikari," Paul went on, this time talking to Drew, "She's my better half in so many ways. Sometimes I don't feel as though I deserve her."

"Jerk," May squeaked suddenly. Paul turned his eyes onto her, confused. May's face flushed red then she avoided Paul's gaze. "You talk about Hikari so nicely even when Dawn's right here."

"I don't mind," Dawn replied, "I find it sort of sweet."

"You would," Itsuki grumbled.

Paul stopped suddenly. He didn't raise any alarm or anything, he merely stopped and stared ahead of him to where a Gardevoir was waiting for them.

"Great," he hissed, then stomped up to the white and green lady.

"What's going on?" Misty asked Dawn.

"I think that's Akiko's Gardevoir," Itsuki replied, "Wonder what it's doing here."

"What do you want?" Paul snapped at Gardevoir. Gardevoir turned her red eyes onto Paul, her serene expression never wavering.

"Mistress has a message for you," Gardevoir replied serenely, "Please can I pass it on?"

"Fine, fine," Paul said quickly, "Go ahead."

Gardevoir nodded then closed her large ruby eyes. A white glow outlined her body against the woodland scene causing the rest of the teens to look round in caution. Suddenly, in the middle of them, a woman with black hair and violet eyes appeared out of thin air. She was pretty translucent, almost ghost like, as she stood with her hips cocked to one side. She was wearing her usual off the shoulder purple top with black jeans, a few bangles hanging from her wrists.

May gasped loudly, not in shock of a person standing there, but more out of recognition. She had seen that woman before somewhere. Paul sighed slightly, running a hand through his hair in a sort of annoyed way while the rest of the teens stared at the ghostly form of his mother.

"Go ahead, Gardevoir," Paul told the psychic Pokémon.

"Shinji, what the hell are you doing?" his mother's voice barked at him, "I strictly told you not to leave Master Toma until your training was complete. Good look finding another teacher now, and don't you dare think I will teach you. I've had enough of you."

"Nice woman," Drew commented under his breath.

"Fine," Akiko continued, this time calmer, "Now that that's out of the way. Toma told me Etsuo has passed. At the minute I am trying to figure out who -or what- killed him but it's not going well. I won't tell you where I am; you'll only come and distract me. I hope by this time you have found Dawn and are taking her back home. Once you're there, do not leave until I return. Got that? Please take care of your brothers and keep an eye on Isamu for me. I'm sure he'll be suffering from the loss of another dear brother."

"Another?" Kenny asked.

"There's something I have to talk to you about too," Akiko said, "A mission for you. When you get home you may want to look up yokoku sa tenshi-ko. Get Reiji to help you. Perhaps it will mean you going to talk to your" – Akiko shuddered at this point, obviously disgusted – "grandmother but not until I get back. Report anything strange directly to me. And" –A smile replaced her frown – "say hi to Dawn for me. I hope she's well and I'll see you both soon."

"Gardevoir, message," Paul said to the Pokémon as the ghost of his mother disappeared. Gardevoir opened her eyes making them glow red. "Ready?"

"Gar."

"You're useless," Paul stated plainly causing the teens around him to blanch, "I've managed to collect Dawn and a few… others after I saved them from some rogues, I think. Itsuki led Etsuo's old team into a trap too so they're all dead. Unfortunately Itsuki's still alive and kicking."

"Hey," Itsuki humphed moodily.

"As soon as I get home I'll see how my brothers are getting on. I'm sure Isamu will be hanging in there for you. Don't stay away too long, though. If you think I'm dealing with an emotional uncle then you've got another thing coming. You married him, he's your problem," Paul went on.

"Charming," Drew muttered again.

"Oh and don't get yourself killed," Paul added as an after thought, "End message."

"Oh Gardevoir? Can I possibly send a message to Akiko?" Dawn asked. Gardevoir turned her eyes onto Dawn and nodded.

"Erm… I meant just a note sort of one…" Dawn mumbled. She glanced at Paul who nodded at her. "Erm… Hi, Akiko. I hope you don't stay away for too long because I could really do with your help. As… nice as the guys are… My friends have a few… Problems and we could really do with your help… Erm… I'll make sure Paul doesn't get himself into too much trouble but please, be careful. Those warriors who attacked us aren't like anything I've seen before. Erm… see you soon, then? Bye."

"End message," Paul said for Dawn. Gardevoir nodded, her eyes returning back to normal. "Be careful too."

"I am, Master Shinji," Gardevoir replied serenely, "Mistress Hi-"

"Dawn," Dawn corrected hurriedly. Gardevoir stared at Dawn for a few seconds before bowing her head.

"I apologise," Gardevoir said slowly, "I mistook you for Hikari."

"I-its no worry," Dawn mumbled, going red slightly. Her friends were definitely going to kill her now for getting so many people to lie to them. This was going to end up being very messy indeed.

"Mistress Dawn, please look after my mistress's son," Gardevoir said, "She would be truly upset if something happened to him."

Drew let out a loud cough which sounded suspiciously like 'momma's boy'. Gardevoir ignored him and teleported away from the scene quickly.

"So your uncle died?" Kenny asked, "So… like your dad?"

"Kenny!" May and Misty hissed at him.

"Have you got no tact?" Misty yelled. Paul clenched his fists tightly and glanced at Dawn. She looked just as upset as he felt.

"My father died a year or so ago," Paul explained, "Since then, my mother-"

"Married your uncle?" Kenny asked.

"She was already married to Isamu," Paul snapped, "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh… so they had an affair," Kenny said as if he understood. No body dared say another word because of the dangerous glint in Paul's eyes. A moment of silence passed between them, tension rising the longer Paul and Kenny stared at each other. Finally, Kenny smirked. "Let me guess, you lost out on your inheritance?"

"Actually," Dawn said defiantly, "Paul got his inheritance from his uncle. I just hope Isamu's alright. Losing Arashi was bad enough… but Etsuo too? He'll be heart broken. Akiko best keep an eye for herself."

"She's more than capable of looking after herself," Paul replied coldly, still glaring at Kenny, "Now let's go. We need to hurry."

**Please excuse any mistakes. I'm just too tired to run a spell check T_T**

**On another note, to make myself feel better, I'm writing an article for my coursework about people having two lives: their real one and one on the internet (on sites like Fanfic and games like WoW). I really would like to interview someone about their experiences but the only problem is I need someone over the age of 18. If you want to know more, please PM me!**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	6. Katei

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday but I was at a cast party and away from my computer. Sorry, also, if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes there is a reason why I didn't do a spell check. Like I said, I was at a cast party which lasted until 4am. I finally went to bed and sleep at 5:30am only to get up at 8am to get on a bus for 9. In short… I'm knackered (really tired and Yorkshire). So please excuse me.**

**Thanks to splitheart1120, pokemonpuppy23, LovelyLily13, AwesomeWolfLover, xRissychanx, lonewolfgirl-sademo588, lightwolfheart, Dani4Short (times two ;)), ninetailsgirl94, sjir-sama, gamer chix, MajorlyObsessedIkarishipper, RaveOn21turned23, aura the lucario and Kitsune300 for reviewing! You lot are awesome!**

**Chapter Six: Katei**

Dawn's face lit up the moment she stepped into the marble hall of the Akari headquarters. She walked around in a circle before she let out a cheer. She was home, at last!

"Is it her?" Dawn heard whispers as she looked around. People, mostly women, were crowding round the large marble arch where her friends were slowly appearing. Misty had followed Dawn, then May after her. Drew almost fell into the room while Ash appeared looking quite confused. Kenny was apparently pushed through with Itsuki stepping onto the hard marble floor with an air of haughtiness.

"Ah, home sweet home," he commented, "Oh, Hirota. How are you?"

"Itsuki, you're back," replied the warrior named Hirota with a slight squeak in his voice.

Lastly Paul stepped through the arch looking pleasantly bored. The moment he put his hands in his pockets and stared round at the crowd of people, they fell silent.

"Shinji," one of the warriors, Kane by the looks of it, shouted. The dark haired warrior pushed his way through the crowd until he was stood right in front of Dawn. "And Hikari. They have returned. Quick, someone send for Reiji. Someone tell Kiboji."

"Master and Mistress Akari," one of the women, a brunette with large brown eyes, "Would you wish for some refreshment?"

"No, thank you," Dawn replied politely, "Sorry, but you could you get my friends some water? If that's not too much trouble."

"Not at all, miss," the woman said, "I will send it through to the throne room."

"Thank you," Dawn replied. The woman hurried away. Dawn's smile went from polite to embarrassed immediately. "That's sooo weird."

"Kane," Paul said to the warrior, "Where's my uncle?"

"In the throne room," Kane replied, "Let's go."

"Itsuki," Paul said as Kane turned his back to the group, "Go find the appropriate wives and stuff."

"Erm… sure," Itsuki mumbled.

Paul turned to Dawn, offering her his elbow. She put her hand in the crook of his arm and allowed him to lead her away. The rest of the teens followed them since they had no idea what else to do.

Everyone seemed to be crowding round to see who had come to headquarters. The women looked rather happy to see the couple returning, each of them wearing plain kimonos obviously not bothering to get changed into fancier clothes just in case they missed the pair. The women pushed forwards, trying to get as much as look as they could, all smiling widely. The warriors tended to stand back or bow their heads respectfully as the pair passed, their hands resting on their swords just in case.

"This is awkward," Dawn mumbled. Paul smirked at her but then looked over his shoulder to make sure no one had attacked the other teens. Ash was following the closest, looking round with vague recognition. Misty and May were walking with their arms linked together, hurriedly whispering about the people around them. Drew was a little behind them with his hands behind his head in a casual sort of way. Kenny brought up the rear, his round face filled with terror.

"Shinji!" Paul heard someone call him. Paul glanced round to see a purple haired man running towards them.

"Rei," Paul greeted then stopped his pleasantries there. Reggie burst out of the crowd in a rather dramatic sort of way right in front of the leading pair. Paul eyed his older brother carefully then stated: "You're wearing a dress."

"Am not," Reggie snapped, "They're robes."

"OK then… A man dress," Paul corrected himself.

"I didn't miss you at all," Reggie retorted. The older boy turned to look at Dawn. "Welcome home, Dawn."

"It's good to see you, Reggie," Dawn giggled in reply.

"Come on," Reggie then told them, "Kibo and Isamu are waiting."

"Isamu better not be in my chair," Paul deadpanned causing Reggie to let out a loud huff. Dawn merely giggled.

Reggie took over from Kane and led them into the throne room. This room was empty apart from three people. One of them was Kiboji who was sat in the middle chair. He stood up the moment he saw Dawn and Paul enter.

"Dawnie," he cheered. He hurried forwards so he could greet her with a hug, completely ignoring his youngest brother who was stood rolling his eyes. Dawn, on the other hand, was ecstatic to see the oldest Akari brother again and hugged him tightly as he hugged her.

"Kiboji," Dawn replied. Kiboji refused to let go of her while he turned to Paul.

"You alright there, little bro?" Kiboji said airily.

"I love how you ignore me," Paul said, glowering slightly. Kiboji chuckled but Paul ignored him, instead he sunk into a low bow. "Reporting for duty."

"Don't do the whole by the book thing, Shin," Kiboji snapped, pushing Dawn away from him roughly. He flashed her an apologetic look as she stumbled around. "I get that from everyone else, I won't take it from my family."

"Speaking of family," Paul said. Slowly, Paul and Dawn turned to address one of the remaining two men who were stood over by the Akari throne. One of them was a solemn looking Isamu, with his light blue hair and black fighting kimono, while the other was a red head with spiky hair. He looked older than Isamu by a fair few years.

"I take it this is Shinji," the red haired man stated.

"Hey," Ash yelped, "That's Lance."

"Ash?" the man, Lance, asked.

"You know each other?" Kiboji asked Lance who nodded.

"I am Lance, the Clan Champion for the Ryu Clan," Lance announced, "And I am also Isamu's uncle."

"He's grandma's brother," Reggie hissed in Paul's ear.

"Yes, because that's hard to work out," Paul snapped back. Reggie seemed to grasp that Paul was being sarcastic and shrank back into the crowd of teens.

"Welcome home," Isamu said quietly. Dawn bit her lip at Isamu's tone. He sounded defeated, depressed even, not like the way she remembered. Paul started forwards and brushed past Kiboji so he could stand face to face with his uncle. The two stared at each other for a few seconds until Isamu let out a dark chuckle.

"I don't need your sympathy," he said then he walked off. Kiboji clenched his fists as Isamu strode out of the throne room, leaving a slight buzzing in the air. Dawn looked up at Kiboji. He smiled weakly at her.

"Things have been a little tense," Kiboji explained, "But… Let's not think about that now. How have you two been? Shin, I want to hear everything about your training and Dawn."

He reached forwards and hugged her tightly again.

"Well done," Kiboji said as she yelped, "For doing so well."

"Erm… Thanks," Dawn muttered. Kiboji let go of her but moved her around him so he still had an arm round her shoulders. He addressed the team of teens who were stood looking rather confused at him.

"Welcome to the Akari," Kiboji said, "I am Kiboji, Lord of the Akari and Paul's oldest brother."

"Half brother," Paul corrected.

"Brother," Kiboji argued, "Come on, you can't do that to us, Shin."

"Do what?" Paul asked, smirking.

"Cut Rei and I off with that sort of thing. Just because your mother kicks ass…" he trailed off.

"Fine," Paul retorted. Kiboji chuckled loudly, clamping his free hand on Paul's shoulder.

"Oh I've missed you," Kiboji admitted. He now worked his arm round so that he had both Dawn and Paul under his arms.

~K~

"Nothing odd to report here," Akiko said, glancing over her shoulder at a boy who had wound up in the same place as she had. He was scowling as he looked round the area, his silver eyes flashed with annoyance as he realised there was very little he could do. Akiko observed the boy for a few minutes then turned back to what she was doing.

"There was a struggle," Akiko went on, pointing of some footsteps in the dirt. The boy nodded. "And three of them were cut down, by Etsuo in all probability."

"And then his companions fled," the boy added, "Apart from one who stayed a moment longer and ran in to get his obi…"

"And that's where he died," Akiko muttered, pointing at a spot on the floor, "Odd… Where did his body go?"

"Didn't your people take it?" the boy asked. Akiko shrugged. "Maybe they did."

"Maybe someone else did," Akiko suggested, "That's the only reason why I came. The brother of my husband… I had to see how it happened."

"You knew him well?"

"As much as you could know family," Akiko explained, "Although, for most of my life at the Akari, he stayed away from me. Thought I was a siren or something."

"Sounds about right," the boy said with a smirk, "I have heard stories about you."

"Pish posh," Akiko snapped, "I am not that bad."

"The same people have wiped out three teams from the Fire Clan," the boy stated.

"And you're here because?" Akiko asked, "Red hair, silver eyes… You're Giovanni's son."

"I recently married into the Fire Clan," the boy replied tersely.

"Oh, Suzume," Akiko stated, "Poor you. She's even worse than me in the lunacy department."

"I'll manage," he said.

"I'll take you home," Akiko decided suddenly, "I need to talk to your elders anyway."

"Fine," he said, "I don't feel as though I have a choice."

"No you don't," Akiko smiled, "It's nice to meet someone who finally understands that."

Akiko leant forwards, putting her hand on the boy's shoulder before making them both disappear into smoke.

~K~

"Wow," Kiboji commented as he stroked his chin. He was sat on his throne looking down at the teenagers as they sat around him. Paul was lounging in his chair looking bored, although it was possible he was sulking. His eyes shot up at Dawn, who was perched on the arm of Kiboji's throne. She hadn't really had any choice and Paul knew it was Kiboji being mean, but still. It sort of annoyed him. "That's rough."

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Ash asked.

"Well, the Akari can provide you with sanctuary," Kiboji replied. He paused then looked to his left at Reggie. "We can, can't we?"

"Yes, Kibo," Reggie sighed.

"Are you sure?" Kiboji asked.

"You are the boss, you do realise that don't you?" Paul said moodily, "You can do whatever you want."

"Right," Kiboji replied, though sounding a little unsure.

"So we can stay here?" Misty asked, "Until we've sorted this whole thing out?"

"Yup," Kiboji replied with a nod, "I suggest that we set up some rooms."

"I'll send the request to the ladies," Reggie said. He pushed himself out of his chair and left the throne room quickly.

"Why is Rei wearing a dress?" Paul asked suddenly the moment Reggie had left them. Kiboji let out a very long sigh.

"I have no idea," he replied, "Seriously. It's so uncool."

"You could ban all man-dresses if you wanted," Paul suggested.

"I have tried," Kiboji mumbled, "But Etsuo told me not to bother. Apparently dad tried the same thing and there was uproar."

"Dad tried to ban man-dresses?" Paul smirked.

"I know," Kiboi groaned, "Isamu thought it was hilarious, said I was a 'mini-Arashi'."

"Hands off," Paul said, with a smirk curling his lips, "Before you get any ideas about stealing my wife."

"Ha ha, you're so funny," Kiboji snapped. Dawn sighed loudly. She clipped Kiboji round the head and shot a small aura attack at Paul, who merely disappeared into smoke and reappeared sat on the floor next to Drew. Drew jumped then clutched his heart to calm himself down.

"Still can't get that right," Paul muttered angrily to himself.

"So," Misty said loudly, bringing all attention back onto the teens, "What now?"

"Dinner," Kiboji said with a bright smile, "I'm absolutely famished. How about you Dawn?"

"Are we going to meet Hikari?" Kenny asked before Dawn could answer Kiboji. Kiboji merely sent Kenny a confused expression to show he had no clue what he was going on about. "Paul's wife."

"Come again?" Kiboji asked.

"Mrs Paul Grumpylumps," May said, pausing for Kiboji to laugh, "Are we going to meet her?"

"I like that," Kiboji mused, "Mr Paul Grumpylumps. I may order you some stationary with that on, Shin."

"But Hikari?" Misty pressed, "I can't wait to meet her."

"Neither can I," Drew agreed, "I want to see Paul get his butt handed to him by a girl. I bet he's totally whipped."

"I am right here," Paul mumbled, shooting Drew a warning look.

"Oh come on," Drew laughed, "I bet you are."

"You really don't know who Hikari is?" Kiboji asked, this time looking up at Dawn in surprise, "The Light of the Light? The Last Niaya? The wife of the Champion of the Akari? The Carer of the Akari?"

"That's a lot of titles," Misty mumbled.

"No," Kenny snapped, getting to his feet, "Who is she?"

"Yeah," May said, getting to her feet too, "I so want to meet her."

"I'm out of here," Paul replied, disappearing from the crowd in his black smoke.

"Coward!" Dawn yelled, then thought it was pretty useless to do so even though it made her feel better.

"Hikari Akari is the true name of Dawn Berlitz," Kiboji told the others, pointing at Dawn, "Didn't she tell you?"

"No," Dawn snapped at him, making him flinch, "No I didn't."

"You're Hikari?" May yelled.

"Since when?" Kenny shouted.

"Well, I didn't see that coming," Drew said nonchalantly as he got to his feet. He put his hands behind his head in his usual manner, staring up at Dawn with a seriously bemused expression on his face.

"Shut up, Drew," May snapped, "Dawn, you're married and you didn't tell us?"

"What was I supposed to tell you?" Dawn asked angrily, "Oh yes, I was pretty much forced into a marriage after people competed for my hand? That my wider family are ninjas?"

"A heads up would have been nice," Drew stated dryly. Dawn gave Drew a 'please shut up' look and was thankful when he actually did fall silent.

Kiboji was watching the conversation between the teens with a smile on his face until his eyes wandered over to the doorway where Isamu was standing.

"Oh you're back? Feeling better?" Kiboji asked over the top of the argument of his guests. Isamu didn't reply straight away. Kiboji tilted his head to one side wondering why his uncle was stood so woodenly by the doorway. His eyes seemed darker than before and his skin was a great deal paler too. What had he been up to since his disappearance?

It was also very odd that he was staring at Kiboji in an almost hungry way. Kiboji was just about to question him again when Isamu straightened up. He merely smiled and drew his sword from its sheath.

Without warning, he pounced.

**So the people are back in the Akari headquarters but what is wrong with Isamu? Hmm… Sorry for the horrible, if not slightly confusing, cliff hanger. **

**Update next Friday.**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	7. Konran

**Sorry, technically it's Saturday here (2am) but here's your update.**

**Thanks to: Starfire1407, Emerald Eme-Pon Walker, LovelyLily13, MajorlyObsessedIkarishipper, ninetailsgirl94, Sjir-sama, lightwolfheart, Dani4Short, pokemonpuppy23, Kitsune300, splitheart1120, AwesomeWolfLover and Angie188 for reviewing!**

**I own nothing but my plot and OCs.**

**Chapter Seven: Konran**

Kiboji had always thanked his father's cool under pressure gene which both he and Paul had inherited. Reggie, not so much. As quickly as he could physically muster, his hands clamped onto the top of the throne and Kiboji threw himself over the stone chair.

"What the hell!" Kiboji roared as he heard Isamu collide with the marble, "Isamu!"

Dawn had barely registered that Isamu had returned until he was stood on Kiboji's chair with his sword embedded in the white marble. Kiboji was back on his feet in no time, looking mildly annoyed at his uncle as he reappeared from behind the chair. Isamu remained frozen on the chair for a while, just stood like he was waiting for something. Other than being annoyed, Kiboji didn't seem to care that there had been an attempt on his life or that his throne now had a rather thin crack in it.

"I swear," Kiboji mumbled as he dusted off his clothes, "This family is barking mad."

"What's going on?" Dawn asked timidly, not really understanding what was going on. Kiboji glanced up at her and it suddenly struck him as odd that his uncle had tried to kill him. His eyebrows seemed to fall into the bridge of his nose and he turned to glare at Isamu.

"Good question," Kiboji muttered, "Why are you attacking me suddenly? I haven't done anything… Is that why?"

Isamu straightened up again. Slowly he turned round to stare at Kiboji. Dawn caught the expression on his face and gasped. All around his eyes was black, his usually black eyes were bloodshot and he looked like a ghost.

"Isamu?" Dawn queried, gesturing to her friends to move out of the way. May was practically dragged across the room as she attempted to reach for Dawn. The others formed a tight crowd close to one of the walls, grabbing each other in some sort of way.

"Isamu," Kiboji snapped, "What the hell is going on?"

He failed to reply again. He jumped forwards again, causing Kiboji to jump backwards as fast as he could. It wasn't fast enough and Kiboji slipped onto the floor, clasping his arm with his hands.

Isamu straightened up once more, the turned his head in the direction of Dawn. Slowly, like a predator, he walked towards her. Dawn shifted into a defensive position with her hands raised in a guard.

"Isamu," she tired again but she knew he was beyond talk. He sheathed his sword and quickly moved so he could attack Dawn with his hands. Dawn blocked three attacks before she kicked at him, catching him out of surprise. The moment she made contact with his stomach, the sword was back in his hands and he swiped at her. Dawn raised her hands in an automatic defensive way. He made contact with her chin and her stomach, but she quickly shook off the pain and returned to her defensive stance.

Blood trickled from her mouth from the punch to her chin, having bitten her tongue in the process. Dawn eyed Isamu carefully. What was he up to? She collapsed onto the floor as Isamu swept her feet from under her. He raised his hands above his head, his sword catching the light in an oddly fascinating way.

"Isamu."

Isamu instantly stopped and turned around. He was greeted by a rather severe glare from Paul who must have appeared whilst Dawn was fighting Isamu.

"What are you doing?" Paul demanded, "Answer me?"

"_I came for her_," Isamu replied. Paul was taken aback not because of what he said but the fact that the words poured out of Isamu's mouth without Isamu's lips moving in sync with each syllable. He opened his mouth to snap again but the only thing that came from his mouth seconds later was blood. As Paul was distracted, Isamu disappeared into the black mist and reappeared right in front of Paul, driving his sword up through Paul's heart.

Isamu glanced down at his handy work but quickly scowled as he saw that he had missed his mark. Obviously Paul had moved at the last second meaning that Isamu's sword was buried in the wrong side of his body to cause instant death.

"Shinji!" Kiboji yelled, trying to get to his feet. Dawn was too shocked to move. Her eyes had gone wide in pure horror.

"No!" she screamed, "Paul! Paul!"

Paul pushed himself away from Isamu and fell onto the cold marble. His eyes betrayed the confusion and shock he felt. Isamu was going to kill him? Since when could Isamu move around like that?

"_Die Akari scum_," Isamu said, again his mouth not moving to the words. Paul closed his eyes, trying to muster all his strength to move but where could he go?

"Paul!" Dawn yelled again. As Isamu took another swipe at Paul but stopped mid movement. Perhaps it was because he suddenly found it very wrong to try and kill his nephew right in the middle of the throne room without proper cause. More likely it was because he had been shot with a rather weak aura attack. Paul took this opportunity to disappear from Isamu's swinging range.

Paul landed oddly next to Dawn. He grimaced and shot her a weak glance. She crawled up to him and put her hands instantly on his bleeding wound.

"Keep your eyes on him," Paul spluttered.

"Right," Dawn muttered with a determined nod. She did as she was told, keeping her eyes on Isamu to the point they watered with the lack of moisture. All the time her eye contact remained on Isamu, she concentrated on something rather different. Her hands glowed as her healing powers did their best to help Paul. He grimaced again as he felt his injury seemingly sow itself up.

"_I sense… Churitsu_," Isamu said.

"And I sense someone's got some explaining to do."

Paul coughed involuntarily at the cold, crisp tone of his mother. Even Kiboji seemed to flinch at the sheer ice in her voice. Isamu turned round to face her. A wide smile cracked along his mouth in an almost manic way and his eyes lit up.

"_Churitsu_," Isamu repeated. Akiko blinked only once as she saw how his mouth moved and how ghastly he looked.

"I have to admit I prefer darling, but I'll take anything that's not rude," Akiko replied dryly, "After all, there are children present."

"Careful," Drew warned Akiko without thinking, "He's one of those things that attacked us earlier."

Of course, Akiko had no idea who the gaggle of teens crowded against the wall were but she seemed to appreciate the tip anyway, putting her busy mind into overdrive to reach a serious conclusion that wasn't something to do with Mareep. She stepped round the room slowly, sizing up Isamu.

"So why exactly are you attacking our family, dear?" she said, her tone now moving towards mocking. Her eyes locked onto Paul and she suddenly seemed to become annoyed again. "You're injured already? For Arceus' sake, Shinji, do you actually fight for my honour or not? You pansy."

"No really, I'm fine," Paul retorted, spraying blood over the floor.

"We're doing great over here, Akiko," Dawn said, smiling at Akiko.

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm," Akiko muttered, then returned her attention to her husband who had seemingly disappeared. "That's new."

A spurt of black mist signalled Isamu's return as a wisp of black smoke meant that Akiko disappeared. She reappeared at the other side of the room where she helped Kiboji to his feet and told him to hide.

"I am not-"

Akiko pushed him to the ground so that a black aura attack from Isamu missed him by a hair. She then sighed.

"Really, honey? You're going to fight me?" she asked.

"Point taken," Kiboji muttered, taking to his knees so he could crawl behind the nearest chair. Akiko glanced at the retreating butt of her nephew then disappeared into smoke again, narrowly dodging a black aura attack.

She didn't return. Isamu looked around the room, his eyes narrowing as he tried to concentrate. A plume of black smoke appeared, causing him to swing his sword at it. The smoke disappeared again, a few seconds later Akiko appeared close to the wall, holding her wrist up to her mouth.

"Bang goes that theory," she retorted.

"What theory?" Kiboji asked, his head poking out from behind the chair he was hiding behind.

"That's Isamu," Akiko replied, "Which means…"

"What?" Kiboji yelled. Akiko merely smirked, her eyes gleaming with some unknown (and frankly down right scary) amusement. She turned back into smoke and for a few seconds there was silence.

Paul sat up slowly, grimacing as he put a hand to his side. Dawn steadied him gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" she muttered.

"Not sure," Paul replied. He peeled Dawn's hand off of him and disappeared into smoke. Dawn got to her feet, standing oddly on the spot for a few seconds deciding what she should do next. She flinched as she saw Paul reappear and land oddly on the floor close to her friends. He quickly rolled off his back and growled.

"For the love of Arceus!" he yelled, "What the hell was that for, Akiko!"

Akiko appeared. She turned to Paul, her forehead bleeding and a crazy smile on her face.

"Butt out, Shinji," she told him, "This is so much fun."

"If you die-!" Paul yelled but Akiko merely blew him a kiss and disappeared once more. Dawn walked towards her husband, feeling slightly put out at the turn of events. Even Paul seemed flabbergasted but he didn't show it with his rather annoyed expression. He allowed Drew and Ash to help him to his feet before he put his hands into his pockets and glared round the room.

"What are they doing?" Dawn asked.

"They're fighting in the void," Paul replied.

"The void?" Misty asked, deadpanned.

"You know how I can transport myself to different places," Paul explained, "To do that you have to displace yourself out of the rhythm of the earth until you're in the void. It's sort of a black and white place. By focusing on where you are and where you want to be, you can move around."

"You learnt how to do that?" Ash asked, "It sounds so difficult."

"It is," Paul replied, "There's a reason why only a few people can do it, mostly Churitsu. Akiko's a natural because she learnt Chi before the arts."

"Like me," Dawn muttered.

"Yeah," Paul agreed, "Which reminds me-" he turned to face her, a deeper scowl etched onto his face now "- where did you learn to fight?"

"Oh… that…" Dawn giggled, "I took an intense course from Brandon when we were in Kanto."

"Brandon trained you?" Kenny and Paul asked at the same time. Paul glanced at Kenny in an annoyed sort of way but Kenny barely noticed because his mouth was hanging wide open. Dawn giggled nervously, scratching her cheek.

"And I worried about you," Paul said finally, shaking his head.

"Jerk," May whispered.

"Wha!"

Akiko landed roughly on her back in the middle of the hall. She quickly rolled out of the way as Isamu reappeared in the black mist, his sword held high. Akiko didn't bother to disappear again: she was now using aura attacks. Isamu dodged as many as he could but he was soon disarmed. His sword was knocked across the room in a whirling action. It collided and sunk into the wall close to Drew's head. Drew yelped and hid behind the nearest person, who just happened to be May.

"Hey!" she yelled at him. Isamu's eyes slid onto the brunette, his dark eyes glimmering dangerously. May didn't realise she had caught the attention of Isamu and continued to yell at Drew like there was no tomorrow. "You should be looking after me! Not hiding behind me!"

"Hey!" Drew yelled back, "It made me jump, alright!"

Before Akiko could move, Isamu disappeared into mist.

"Paul protect-!" she yelled, only to be cut off by Isamu reappearing close to May with his back turned to her. He sent a black orb of aura towards Akiko. She calmly cut the attack in half but the second she did that black mist poured around her. She shrieked, mostly in anger over her stupidity, as she became trapped in the gradually thickening mist.

Satisfied that Akiko was now taken care of, Isamu turned to May. Drew had stepped boldly in front of her in a rather weak attempt to protect her. It was, of course, no use as Isamu easily grabbed Drew by the throat and threw him across the room like he was some sort of rag doll.

"Drew!" May screamed then screamed again as Isamu placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Isamu, stop it," Paul warned in a low growl. Isamu merely turned his head in Paul's direction and smiled at him. He was just about to turn into mist when he was flung backwards across the hall. He landed with a sickening crunch then skidded across the room until he collided with Akiko, who yelped as she fell over him.

Paul, May and the others turned to stare at Dawn who seemed to be in as much shock as everyone else at the attack she had just aimed at Isamu. She pulled her outstretched hand back into her body and hugged herself tightly. There were a few moments of awkward, shocked silence as the teens stared at each other.

Their attention soon shifted as Akiko let out a loud feral cry. She was straddling Isamu, his sword lightly pressing on his throat. Isamu seemed paralysed suddenly. He was bleeding from his mouth, his cheek had a large gash along it and there were several cuts all over his body. Akiko's forehead was bleeding and so were her hands but that didn't seem to deter her any from holding a sword down onto her husband.

For a few seconds no one moved then Isamu blinked.

"Aki?" he mumbled. He looked around, his eyes wide with confusion, then he blinked a few times more before turning his head to frown at Akiko. "What the hell?"

Akiko stared at him, unconvinced for the most part at his sudden change. When she failed to move off of him, Isamu sighed, his entire body sagging onto the cold marble floor.

"Please will you get off me?" he asked finally.

"What were you doing?" Akiko asked. Isamu's head lolled around like he was suddenly a doll. His eyes widened with surprise as he noted the various family members around him in the marble throne room. He turned to Akiko, adding a bit of bark to his tone.

"Wait. Are you straddling me in the throne room… How the heck did we get into the throne room? Where did you come from?" Isamu spluttered, "What is going on!"

"Fair enough," Akiko said, climbing off of him. She stood up and looked round the room, suddenly bored. Isamu rolled onto his front then grimaced.

"Ow," he groaned, "Geez, what did you do to me?"

"Sorry," Akiko replied, "I thought you liked me when I was rough with you."

"There's a fine line between rough and killing me, Aki," Isamu deadpanned. He rubbed his side then froze. A quick scramble with his obi and top, he found he had a large bruise forming quickly just under his ribs. Suddenly alarmed by this, Isamu stared at Akiko waiting for an answer. "Is that… Internal?"

"Hey, that's not my fault," Akiko snapped, "That must have been Dawn."

Isamu glanced over Akiko's shoulder.

"Oh, hi Dawn… Shinji… When did you get here?" Isamu asked, "And why did you try to kill me? Just out of interest."

"He doesn't remember anything," Kiboji noted. The Akari Leader was standing by his throne looking quite bewildered by the whole thing. He stroked his chin slowly then closed his eyes, deep thought consuming him for the moment. Without realising it, most of the Akari family flinched as Kiboji thought on the spot, not because they were scared of what his mind was concocting but now Kiboji was stood there, his brow furrowed and his fingers rubbing his chin wearily, he looked exactly like Arashi did. Then the moment passed and Kiboji returned to normal, his eyes opening with a snap.

"Shin," Kiboji barked, "Take Isamu and secure him in his room."

"Wait, what?" Isamu complained.

"I don't like this," Kiboji said, "And it's just a precaution."

"For what?" Isamu snapped. He glared at Paul the closer the purple haired teen got to him. Paul didn't seem too happy about it either but he was following orders, the way he raised his hands in surrender was enough to tell anyone that.

"You went a bit crazy," Paul explained, "Come on. We need to get that checked out for you."

"Fine," Isamu said, rather like a spoilt child. He glanced at Akiko then Kiboji. "But when Etsuo gets back here-"

Dawn's gasp cut him off. Her hands clamped round her mouth instantly as she cursed herself for drawing attention to Etsuo's name. Isamu turned to her, confused. He glanced round to Paul, who looked mildly surprised and concerned, to a wide eyed Kiboji then finally to Akiko. She took a step backwards, recoiling from him like he was diseased. Slightly put off by his wife's reaction he took a step towards her, grabbing one of her hands and squeezing it. She recovered almost instantly, her warrior façade quickly appearing on her face.

"What is the last thing you remember, Isamu?" she asked urgently.

"Etsuo left with his team," Isamu replied, still confused, "Then I left… I was coming to see you. Why? What's going on?"

"Isamu… Etsuo left four days ago," Kiboji said slowly, "You've not been away from headquarters for five minutes."

Isamu seemed startled by this news. He turned to Akiko for support.

"You never came to visit me," Akiko told him quietly, "You've never come to visit me."

"But…" Isamu said, "That's impossible… I've seen you plenty of times. I have. I know I have."

"No… You haven't," Akiko replied, her face draining of all colour. Isamu opened and closed his mouth a few times then turned to stare at Kiboji.

"Take him away," Kiboji told Paul. Paul nodded, clamped a hand on Isamu's shoulder and transported them both away from the room, leaving behind an odd sense of eerie silence.

**Right I am going to bed now. Night all!**

**Please review.**

**RSx**


	8. Sobo

**Sorry for the ultra late update on this T_T This is the first time I've had my laptop in three days so I couldn't update. I'm a little fed up of computers, if I'm honest, so I've been having a mini-techno detox before I work like mad from Monday. Sorry T_T**

**Anywho, thanks to: AwesomeWolfLover, lightwolfheart, MajorlyObessedIkarishipper (times 2), Sjir-sama, LovelyLily13, pokemonpuppy23, Kitsune300, Horselover, Emerald Eme-Pon Walker, splitheart1120, Angie118, Dani4Short and RaveOn21turned23 for reviewing!**

**Chapter Eight: Sobo**

"Really," Paul deadpanned as he leant in the doorway of the old room of his brother's. Instantly May and Misty turned their heads to see what Paul was going on about. This was Reggie's old room and was currently going free since Reggie had moved into Etsuo's old room when he had received Etsuo's title. Etsuo had moved into one of the warrior rooms on one of the lower levels in a modest sort of move or so Reggie had told Paul.

With Luxray by his side, Paul walked into the room and began helping the girls out as they rearranged some furniture. He easily moved a wardrobe onto a different wall so that the two new single beds could fit into the room without obstructing too much.

"We'll sort it out tomorrow," Paul told the pair as they struggled to free chest of drawers from between the wall and one of the beds. They stopped instantly.

"This is so weird," May mumbled.

"How is your uncle?" Misty asked, flumping down on one of the beds. She smiled at Paul in a comforting sort of way, the way Dawn usually smiled when she was in a sticky situation. Paul let out a sigh.

"Akiko's talking to him," Paul replied.

"So what's the deal with you, Paul," May said, "I mean your mum is Akiko, right?"

"Yes," Paul said with a nod.

"But Isamu's her husband and your uncle," May prompted. She didn't say anymore mostly because she couldn't trust herself not to offend Paul with a sudden blurting out of her thoughts. Paul waited for her to say more but when she remained silent he nodded once.

"My grandfather was nuts," Paul explained, "He wanted Akiko to marry my father but at a tournament where she was the prize, Isamu beat my father and they got married. Years later, my grandfather decided he wanted Akiko and my father to have me so that I would be this great powerful warrior. That's pretty much how I came to be."

"Why Akiko and your father?" Misty asked. She pulled her knees up to her chest, staring at Paul in wonder.

"Something to do with blood," Paul replied with a shrug.

"But Isamu was your father's brother, right? So then their blood would be the same," Misty said, "I don't get it."

"She's smart."

They turned to see that Akiko had invited herself into the room and was now stood in the doorway of the bedroom with her arms folded.

"I'm glad you're here, Shinji," Akiko said, glancing at Paul, "I need you to go on a mission for me."

"Sure," Paul said with a nod.

"I wanted to make sure our guests were settled first though," Akiko added, beaming at the girls fondly, "So nice to see new people. So which one of you is sick?"

"That's me," May admitted, raising her hand, "I'm May."

"I'll let Gardevoir come and look after you," Akiko said, "If you feel worse then she'll know about it and help you."

"Thanks," May said weakly.

"She's been like it for a few days," Misty sighed, "Well, a week. It's odd."

"Nurse Joy said I was alright," May agreed.

"I'll keep an eye on you," Akiko promised. She turned to Paul again. "I need you to go to Blackthorn City."

"Why?" Paul asked.

"I need you collect someone," Akiko replied, "The Champion Priestess of the Ryu Clan."

"Champion Priestess?" Paul asked, raising an eyebrow at his mother amused by the title. Akiko nodded but if she found the title funny she kept that very hidden.

"Of the Ryu Clan," she repeated, "I need you to go right away. Take the boys with you if you want."

"Why not us?" Misty asked.

"Because you're not annoying me," Akiko replied. She then turned on her heel and left the bedroom doorway. There was a pause then Akiko greeted Dawn in the living room area of the room. Dawn walked into the bedroom not long after that, eying Paul suspiciously until she realised the furniture had been moved around.

"Oh you sorted it," Dawn stated.

"Yeah," Paul said, "We can do more with this room in the morning. How are the guys settling in?"

"Fine," Dawn replied, "Some of the tea girls have gone to help them. I tried to get them to help us in here but…"

She let out a long sigh.

"The tea girls are usually single," Paul told her, "I'll see what I can do. Oh, and I'm not going to be home until late."

"Where are you going?" Dawn asked.

"Akiko has a mission for me," Paul replied, sticking his hands into his pockets then leaving without another word. Dawn puffed out her cheeks then sighed in defeat.

"Men," she muttered to herself. She brightened as she saw Misty and May staring at her. "Will this be alright for you?"

"Sure," Misty said, shrugging.

"Where are you sleeping?" May asked. Her expression made her look like she was merely curious but her tone suggested something more, like she was testing Dawn. Dawn flushed pink and turned her eyes away from May.

"Paul and I have our own room," Dawn muttered.

"Separate beds?" May asked.

"No… just the one," Dawn mumbled, "It's no big deal really."

May and Misty exchanged catish looks then turned back to Dawn, their eyes gleaming with mischief. Sensing things were going to go down hill from here, Dawn backed out of the room. She span on the ball of her foot and raced towards the door, but there was one problem. Paul was walking through the door, with his hands full with various boxes, just as Dawn raced around the corner. There was a crash and yell of 'Troublesome' seconds later as both teens fell onto the floor.

Misty and May hurried to help them up but stopped dead the second they saw them on the floor. Dawn wasn't in any immediate danger, having fallen right on top of Paul. Paul was propping himself up with his elbow as he was half sat, half laid on the hard floor, the boxes he was carrying place carefully on the floor next to him. One arm was clutched round Dawn's shoulders protectively.

Behind them was a pink haired girl who was holding a pink tray in her hands, four cups and a golden teapot balanced on it. She looked down at the couple, blinking a few times before she stepped over them and carried into the room as if nothing had stopped her in the first place. She walked straight to the coffee table, placing the tray gently on the top of it.

"Really, you two," she said, almost annoyed, "How did you two bring down the Kurai empire, I'll never know."

She turned to May and Misty, gesturing for them to sit while she poured the tea.

"My name is Urara," the girl introduced herself, "I'm here to take care of you for the duration of your stay."

"Erm… thanks," Misty said, slumping onto the sofa. May perched on the seat next to Misty watching intently as the pink haired girl began to mess around with the cups and the teapot.

"Just get off me," Paul sighed in the background, not that Misty and May were paying much attention.

"I can't," Dawn moaned, "My hair's caught in your jacket zip."

"Never simple is it?" Paul said, "Just keep still."

"Ow," Dawn squeaked, "Ow! That hurts."

"Stop squirming," Paul snapped in reply. Misty turned round as she heard another pair of footsteps come into the room. She smiled in welcome as Kiboji stepped over his brother and sister-in-law, looking quite amused.

"How are you doing?" he asked, "Ah, Urara. Thanks for coming."

"It's no problem," the girl replied sweetly, "Anything to help you, sire."

Kiboji jumped over the back of the sofa, landing softly between May and Misty. He glanced over his shoulder and chuckled openly as he heard Dawn yell: "Stop that Paul! It hurts!"

"Stop wiggling then," Paul replied.

"Keep it up you two," Kiboji laughed, "Mum always said she wanted grandchildren."

Paul took this opportunity to swear at Kiboji, causing the pink haired to almost drop her teapot. May and Misty turned their heads to stare at Paul in amazement, not expecting him to swear like that. Kiboji smirked haughtily and chuckled again. Finally Dawn was free from Paul's jacket. They got off each other and climbed to their feet.

"Really?" the girl snapped, "Language, Shinji."

"Oh shut up," Paul retorted moodily. Dawn glanced up at the pink haired girl then let out a shriek of shock. Paul glanced at her. "What's wrong with you now?"

"Ursula!" Dawn cheered, hopping round Paul and the sofa so she could get to her long time friend, "Wow, I didn't know you were here."

"Of course you didn't," Ursula said, her nose high in the air, "I couldn't tell you could I?"

"I suppose not," Dawn muttered.

"Before you say anything else, Dawn," Ursula said. She rose to her feet, staring oddly at Dawn for a few seconds. Her eyes were over bright with some emotion Dawn couldn't quite place. Slowly, Ursula sunk into a low bow. "Thank you for returning my husband to me safe and sound."

"Husband?" Misty and May yelled. They glanced at Paul with fiery hatred. Paul held up his hands in surrender, both confused and intimidated by the two girls.

"It's not me," Paul snapped, "I would never marry her. No offence."

"None taken," Ursula replied, straightening up and smiling at Paul, "I feel the same way."

"Oh," Dawn gasped, "You're married to Itsuki?"

"Yes," Ursula replied with a nod.

"How did you end up with him?" Dawn asked.

"For you information… I have no idea," Ursula sighed, "But whatever the reasons… I'm just glad he's home."

Dawn glanced across at Paul and blushed slightly as he met her gaze with a small, almost unnoticeable, smile. Ursula quickly busied herself with giving out the tea cups to Misty and May.

"Thanks," May said as a cup was pushed gently into her hands. She looked up at Dawn, frowning slightly. "So spill, Dawn. I want to know everything."

"E-everything?" Dawn gulped. Ursula stood up again and hurried to hand Kiboji a cup. He thanked her quietly and flashed her a smile.

"Everyone seems to love you here," Misty said, "You're like a hero."

"Not really," Dawn muttered.

"Oh she is," Kiboji said, "Shin and her are legendary."

"Before you go into a long, and frankly embarrassing, story," Paul interrupted. Kiboji turned his neck to see what Paul was wanting to ask. "Akiko wants me to go to Blackthorn."

"In the morning," Kiboji replied. He winked at Dawn who flushed straight away. "You two have quite a lot of catching up to do."

There was a pause as both Paul and Dawn froze on the spot then Paul simply closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He put his head in his hand, calming himself down enough to not kill Kiboji, and spun on the spot.

"Arceus help me," Paul said, "I will kill you."

And he left without another word. Dawn danced on the spot for a few seconds then excused herself, blushing red as she ran from the room. Kiboji merely laughed as she disappeared through the door and ran down the hall.

"Anything else, sire?" Ursula asked.

"Nope," Kiboji replied, "Does Itsuki want you back or will you join us for a while?"

"I think I can afford to divulge certain information to these two, for the time being," Ursula said, her eyes glinting evilly. May and Misty sat forwards, almost hungry expressions on their faces at the prospect of getting to know every little detail they wanted to know.

~K~

Akiko ducked neatly as Isamu threw something at her head. Of course, it wasn't done on purpose. She had appeared into the room on a whim to check up on him, only to find he was destroying their room in a fit of rage.

"Sorry," Isamu panted as Akiko straightened up. She shook her head, telling him it was nothing. She had bigger things on her mind, like the fact their room was now in tatters.

"What did the room do?" she asked.

"It was there," Isamu barked in reply.

"Fair enough," Akiko said with a shrug, "Hey, can I help you wreck the site? I always enjoyed it when we first got married."

Isamu chuckled at her. He rubbed his head awkwardly as she smirked across at him.

"I haven't touched the china yet," he told her.

"Brilliant," Akiko said brightly, "Shall I get out that gaudy dragon set?"

"My mother gave us that," Isamu snapped. He paused then added: "Go for it."

Akiko hurried past him and disappeared into the kitchen where she set about rummaging through the cupboards for the tea set she had long since wanted to smash. She returned not minutes later carrying a black box of china and wearing a rather large grin on her face. Obviously she had been wanting to do this for years. She placed the box down on the nearest stable surface which happened to be an over turned chest of drawers but as she went to rip the lid of the box, Isamu grabbed her wrists and pulled her into an embrace. Caught by surprise, Akiko froze then relaxed.

"I'm worried," he stated.

"So am I," she muttered.

"Promise me… If you can't figure this out…" Isamu trailed off. Akiko didn't say anything. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh," Akiko scoffed, pushing herself away from Isamu's warm body, "Don't think you can. Now… On with the destruction, yes?"

"Aki," Isamu said a little more urgently this time. Akiko, to her credit, turned her full attention back to Isamu and waited for him to continue. He rarely used that tone of voice with her and it was usually followed by something heart warming or sentimental. She stared up into his coal black eyes for a second until he failed to speak, then she leant forwards and pecked him on the lips.

"We'll figure it out," she told him, "Nothing can beat us, right."

"R-right," he agreed with a quick nod.

"We're in this together," she added, sensing his doubt, "It's either both of us or nothing."

"Thanks," he sighed. She rubbed his arm gently, not knowing what else to do.

"I've ordered Paul to go to Blackthorn City," Akiko said.

"Blackthorn, huh? Nice place…Wait…" Isamu pushed himself away from Akiko staring at her in horror, "Really?"

"Yup."

"She'll kill you."

"I know."

"…We're doomed."

Akiko chuckled: "What's new there?"

"I would have preferred a different method of help," Isamu moaned, "Like getting Sayuri here."

"Oh, didn't you know?" Akiko asked brightly. Isamu's confused expression told her that Sayuri had not been in contact with them yet to tell them the great news. "She's got remarried."

"Oh," Isamu said shortly. In truth he was almost hurt by this news. He knew that Sayuri and Arashi had always had a rather unhappy marriage but Isamu hoped that she would have given it more time before she got married again, after all, they had been married a while. Akiko leant forwards and pulled at his cheek in a mockingly motherly way.

"I know how broken up about you are," she said teasingly, "But she did marry someone really suited to her. Can't remember the name but she said she had grown up with him."

"It seems all our family is leaving us," Isamu mumbled, "Sayuri… Etsuo. You left to go to the Kurai and Paul to the Churitsu. Dawn was above ground living a proper life. When this is sorted out that's what will happen again."

He glanced down at Akiko, his face blank of all expression. She looked thoughtful for a second, rather like she used to a long time ago. Isamu's features softened slightly at the memory of her back then, before Arashi became the leader.

"I shouldn't have left," Akiko told him.

"Your father ordered you to," Isamu replied shaking his head, "I mean, you are a Churitsu through and through."

At this he slowly reached up and twirled his fingers in her hair softly. Akiko glanced at her ebony hair, her eyes narrowing.

"How long do Churitsu grieve?" he asked her.

"Too long," Akiko replied, pulling her hair away from Isamu, "Too long for a mother who never cared."

"On with the destruction?" Isamu asked, glancing over at the box of china over on the upturned chest of drawers.

"See, there is a reason I love you," she teased him, flashing him a wicked smile before she jumped over to the box. Isamu laughed at his wife, feeling temporarily happy and content with his life. Although it may take them only five minutes to destroy the tea set and after that he would return to his angry depression, he knew that at least he had five minutes of laughing with the one woman who he could never turn his back on.

~K~

"Right be careful," Dawn was lecturing, wagging a warning finger at the three guys. Ash was paying the most attention, nodding his head slowly at every instruction she told him. Drew seemed to be more concerned over zipping up his jacket than to listening to Dawn while Kenny was ignoring her completely, still rather annoyed he was being forced to go with Paul somewhere. Never-the-less, Dawn continued: "And listen to what Paul tells you. If he says duck, don't ask which way, just move. You've got to pay attention at all times."

"Dawn," Reggie said, smiling widely at her as he carried three large rucksacks in his hands. Dawn glanced at him. "They're going to be alright. Paul will look after them, no problem."

"It's not Paul I'm worried about," Dawn muttered.

"Well, I don't see why I have to go with him," Kenny snapped, "What, isn't he good enough to look after himself?"

"Akiko requested you three leave for a while," Reggie replied, "It's best to do what Akiko says during this time. The only one she won't snap at is Kiboji but everyone else is in danger of being karate chopped if they annoy her."

"Then why is she sending Paul?" Dawn asked, "He hasn't annoyed her has he?"

"He's the best for the job," Reggie replied, "Like always."

"I suppose so," Dawn mumbled.

Paul and Itsuki walked into the room wearing normal clothes once again. Paul glanced at Dawn wondering what she was doing here.

"You are not coming with," he told her.

"I know," she replied, folding her arms, "But I was just… wanting to see you off."

"Aww," Drew cooed, "True love."

Paul rolled his eyes, smirking at him.

"Yeah," Paul said, "I bet you really don't want to leave, do you?"

"Why not?" Drew asked, confused.

"Well, May is going to be sat here with all these strong, muscular, cool looking warriors," Paul said. Drew froze as the realisation hit him.

"You! You! You… Jerk!" he yelled, "That's it, I'm not going."

"Drew, relax," Ash replied, although he was grinning, "I'm sure May will behave."

"It's not fair," Drew humphed, folding his arms across his chest and frowning. Ash and Reggie chuckled loudly while Paul merely smirked.

"So," Itsuki said, "I'll be taking Kenny."

"Say what?" Kenny spluttered.

"I'm going to Ecruteak," Itsuki said, "I need someone to come with me and that is you, I think. You want to go and see some nice Maiko?"

"Fine," Kenny snapped, "You're better than him."

"You're going to Ecruteak?" Dawn asked.

"Yup," Itsuki replied, "Got some documents Akiko wants me to pick up."

"Well, good luck," Dawn said to him and Kenny. She smiled at Kenny who smiled back at her.

"Off we go," Itsuki told Kenny, "Step through the portal with me."

Reggie walked over to the wall and placed his hand on the marble. Slowly two doors appeared in the wall and began to slide open slowly revealing a large whirling portal. It was white with swirls of blue and silver pooling into it. Itsuki steered Kenny in front of the swirling mass then they stepped into it, disappearing.

"Right, to Blackthorn," Drew said importantly.

"What are we looking for while we're there?" Ash asked Paul.

"Some Priestess Champion," Paul replied airily. He turned to Dawn. "Please make sure no one annoys Akiko."

"I won't," Dawn said, "You be careful."

"I will," Paul said. He reached forwards and stroked her cheek gently. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Right," Dawn said with a nod. Paul turned to Drew and Ash who were staring at the couple completely awestruck.

"Let's get going you two," Paul ordered them. He walked over to the portal and stood in front of it, waiting for Ash and Drew to stand next to him. Slowly they lined up next to each other and then stepped into the portal.

It felt as though Drew and Ash were being pulled through a rather large freezer on roller skates. Cold bit at them and a cool breeze rushed against their bodies, then it was over. They stumbled and collapsed onto a hard, dusty path just outside a cave entrance. Paul was still on his feet, looking around the area for any signs of trouble.

"Let's go," Paul told them, reaching down to help both of them to their feet. He eyed them apologetically for a minute. "Are you two alright?"

"Apart from the horrible jelly legs," Drew moaned as he climbed to his feet shakily. His legs were visibly shaking as he moved. Ash too seemed to be struggling with wobbling legs. "I'm fine."

"Me too," Ash agreed, "Slightly cold too."

"You get used to it," Paul replied, "Come one."

"Tell me one thing, Paul. Why Blackthorn of all places?" Drew asked as he stumbled after Paul. Paul glanced at him and shrugged because he did not know the answer to this question at all. The three of them walked down the route towards the city in silence. To be honest, Paul was a little unnerved by their behaviour, after all Ash was definitely not a quiet person, but the silence was good just in case there was any trouble.

"Where do we need to head to?" Ash asked suddenly, his voice dropped to a whisper.

"I have no idea," Paul replied, "Akiko just said go to Blackthorn City. I doubt there's a sign saying 'this way to the Priestess Champion'."

"I doubt that too, but it would be oddly helpful," Ash commented. Paul gave a grunt and began to scan the area for trouble yet again. The sun was out leaving the route in glorious sunshine, Pidgey's and Spearrow were singing in the trees without a care in the world. This was a perfect day.

"Chill out, Paul," Drew said, putting his hands behind his head in a nonchalant manner, "You should really take this sort of thing less seriously."

"Really?" Paul said, he lips curling into a smile, "And you may want to duck."

"Duck?" Drew asked before he realised what Paul meant. He dropped to the floor quickly, wincing as he hit his chin on the hard dirt path. Something flew at Paul but he caught it with a quick snatch. Paul glanced down to find a black metal shuriken between his fingers.

"A Dark Type," Paul explained to Ash and Drew as Drew got to his feet, "Apart from the Akari, Kurai and Churitsu there are the gem families and the type families, then there are the colour families too."

"So like you?" Drew asked. Paul nodded.

"I though the Ryu Clan live here in Blackthorn but I wonder why there is a Dark Type warrior here," Paul said. Paul glanced around then disappeared into black smoke, leaving Ash and Drew stunned at being left alone. A few seconds later Paul reappeared with a 'friend'. Paul threw a red headed boy onto the floor with a loud thump, then pinned him onto the floor by standing on his arm, thrusting a katana (the red head's) into his neck.

"As much as I love a welcome committee," Paul started dryly, "I would appreciate you not killing these two losers. I promised someone I'd bring them back. Now, who are you?"

"Silver," the boy hissed, "Of the Dark Clan."

"Why are you in Ryu Clan territory?" Paul asked.

"I was just passing through," Silver replied darkly.

"Really?" Paul asked.

Ash and Drew jumped as something whisked past them. It was a young girl holding a large thick stick in her hand. She went to swat Paul over the head but he promptly disappeared into smoke again, causing the girl to trip and land on Silver. Silver hissed as the wind was knocked out of him while the girl apologised quickly. Paul returned instantly, glancing down at the two.

The girl jumped rolled off of Silver, staring at Paul with wide eyes.

"Oh," she said dumbly, "Oh, its you."

"It's who?" Silver snapped at her. The girl glanced at Silver then got to her feet, swatting the dust off of clothes. Silver slowly got to his feet, cautious of Paul but realising that Paul wasn't going to don anything else unless provoked.

"Paul?" hissed Ash, "Who is that?"

"No clue," Paul replied, "But I would like to know."

"Oh, you mustn't remember me, not like you should," the girl giggled. She ran a hand through her long brown hair in a somewhat nervous way. Silver glanced at her, seemingly unimpressed. "My name is Suzume Kasai."

"Kasai?" Paul asked, his eyes darting to Silver again. "What is a member of the Kasai clan doing with a Dark Clan warrior?"

"Wife," Silver replied shortly.

"I see," Drew commented, "So are you trying to kill us or not?"

"Sorry," Suzume said, rubbing her head, "Silver said he sensed something odd and we thought you were one of those Shadow Warriors Akiko was telling my father about."

"Akiko?" Paul asked.

"Yes, Akiko Churitsu," Silver replied with a nod.

"I'm her son," Paul introduced, "Shinji Akari."

"Y-you're… Shinji?" Silver spluttered. He bowed quickly. "Sorry for attacking you."

"It's nothing," Paul replied, "But you can tell me why you two are going to Blackthorn."

At this point Suzume and Silver looked at each and fell silent. They were hiding something, Paul was certain of it. Suzume turned round to them suddenly, a wide smile on her face.

"I can't believe how much you've grown up," she said, "How's Kiboji?"

"He's… well," Paul replied.

"Good to hear," Suzume said, "During the war all those years ago, I worked with Kiboji and Reiji to look after you and the Niaya girl. You two were only babies at the time so I doubt you'd remember me."

"That's… interesting," Ash said, "But what are you doing here?"

"Ash has a point," Drew agreed, "You did ignore the question."

"Well… We're not supposed to be here," Suzume said honestly, "But I wanted to come here. I came to talk to the Champion Priestess of the Ryu Clan."

"That's why we're here too," Ash gasped, causing Paul to face palm. Ash seemed to realise his mistake and quickly fell silent so that he didn't say anything else which would get him into trouble. Suzume merely beamed at him then looked up at her husband, who scowled.

"Then why don't we walk together," she suggested. Paul and Silver looked at each other then sighed loudly.

"Fine," Silver said.

"Since we're looking for the same thing we may as well," Paul agreed.

The group of them walked into the city beyond the route in no time at all. Suzume was talking to Drew and Ash about the different clans while Silver and Paul walked side by side at the back, silently.

"Is your wife as much of a blabbermouth as mine?" Silver asked suddenly.

"Depends," Paul replied, "Who they are and what they've said to her."

Paul glanced up when he heard someone coming out of the Blackthorn City gym. The doors opened and closed noisily as a woman with blue hair stepped out of the building her cape blowing gently in the breeze. She turned her black eyes onto the group of teens walking towards her.

"That's Clair," Ash told the others, "The Gym Leader."

"I guessed," Paul said, "Since she had just come out of the gym."

"Oh shut up," Ash snapped back, causing Drew and Paul to smirk at him.

Clair stepped forwards looking quite annoyed, her arms folded across her chest. Her boots clicked on the dusty path as she walked towards the group.

"I should have known you would have come here, Suzume," Clair barked at the brunette, "And you too Silver. You're just too nosey, aren't you?"

"I just wanted to help," Suzume said shakily, "Please don't be mad. Especially not at Silver."

"And you," Clair snapped, turning to Paul, "Leaving your clan to come here. I thought you had more brains than that, Kiboji."

"What?" Paul snapped in a monotone causing everyone around him to flinch. Clair raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to speak again. "I'm not Kibo."

"Really?" Clair said, "Then who are you?"

"Shinji," Paul replied testily. Clair paused, seemingly shocked by the correction.

"Akiko sent you, then?" she asked, "You didn't come here by your own will."

"No," Paul replied, "Akiko wanted me to talk to the Priestess Champion-"

"Champion Priestess," Suzume corrected.

"Whatever," Paul said, "Because she wants information or something. I'm not sure."

Clair began to laugh. The teens turned to look at her as she began to stumble around on the spot, laughing to herself. Paul's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, never having been laughed at like this before. He didn't like it. At all.

"The great, almighty Akiko wants my help?" Clair laughed, "That is rich. And she doesn't even have the gall to come and ask me herself?"

"She's sort of busy at the minute," Drew replied before Paul could lose his temper.

"And you're such a mother's boy," Clair went on, glaring at Paul, "I bet you'd do anything for her."

Paul didn't say anything, he merely stood on the spot and waited for Claire to fall quiet. When she did Paul closed his eyes.

"Are you done?" he asked. Clair raised an eyebrow again. "Good. Now the only reason why Akiko sent me was because she seemed to think you would be of some use, but as I see it you're nothing more than a bitter old hag who has too much time on her hands."

"Paul!" Ash and Drew yelled at him. He looked at the pair, frowning at them.

"Let's go home," he said, "I'm rather worried about leaving them alone too long with Isamu."

"What's wrong with Isamu?" Clair asked.

"He's gone a bit evil," Ash replied, only to be whacked over the head with Drew's fist a few seconds later. Clair stared at Paul for a few seconds more then sighed.

"Fine," she snapped, "Come inside and I'll listen to everything."

"Thank you," Paul said then turned to Ash, smirking. He dropped his voice to a whisper: "Nice going there, Ketchum. Good job."

"Eh?" Ash asked both too shocked and stumped to move from his spot as the rest of the group walked into the gym.

**So… I've introduced some new-ish characters who you will be familiar with… I hope. **

**Again, really, really, really sorry for the late update but at least you don't have as long to wait for the next chapter now ^_^**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	9. Shinzō

**This is the first of your double update ^_^ Thank you so much for doing the survey I asked you to!**

**Now for my marvellous reviewers: splitheart1120, LovelyLily13, AwesomeWolfLover, pokemonpuppy23, MajorlyObsessedIkarishipper, AuricEspeon, Sjir-sama, Horselover, Dani4Short, RaveOn21turned23 and Emerald Eme-Pon Walker.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and plot.**

**Chapter Nine: Shinzō**

Ash fidgeted as Clair poured some tea for them all in her chamber in the gym. Paul didn't seem too enthralled at being forced to sit at a table next to Ash and Drew. Suzume was helping out with the tea, a pleasant smile on her face as she served her husband. The small table was doomed to a horrible silence as Clair and Paul seemed to ignore each other.

"I suppose I'd better begin," Clair said suddenly, "I am also known as Ibuki."

"My grandmother," Paul said slowly. Clair nodded. "I'm not going to apologise for calling you a hag."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Clair replied, "You're mother was quite keen on calling me it."

"I can see why," Paul muttered. Clair chuckled and turned to Suzume and Silver.

"So you two are here to gather information, am I correct?" Clair asked them. Suzume nodded. "Your father will be quite worried, perhaps you should send him a message."

"I will do," Suzume replied with a nod, "After tea."

"So if you're Paul's grandmother, why are you in Blackthorn?" Drew asked, "Are you a ninja too?"

"I was once the Lady of the Akari," Clair said, "Before Sayuri. I am Arashi, Etsuo and Isamu's mother and I was the wife to Ichiro."

"Ah," Drew said looking at the table awkwardly, "So Ichiro's dead?"

"Very," Clair replied darkly, "Believe me when I said I made sure of it before they buried him."

"Is it a family tradition to hate your spouse?" Paul asked.

"Ichiro had a lot to answer for," Clair replied, "When I first married him I was sure I loved him but after Isamu was born he changed. They were dark days especially through the war until Ichiro died and Arashi took over from him. It's rather good and well you never met him, Shinji."

"Sounds like it," Paul muttered.

"Why are you a gym leader now?" Ash asked. Clair paused to think about this for a few seconds then nodded to herself.

"It's a tradition for the old Lady to leave the clan when a new one comes into power," Clair explained slowly, "So when Arashi took the throne and Sayuri took my place, I came back home: here. Like Akiko, I was a trained warrior once upon a time but with my age and my station I couldn't go back to being just a normal warrior but I longed to fight again."

"So you became a Gym Leader to make up for it," Drew guessed. Clair nodded.

"It makes sense," Ash said, "I mean, you're a very powerful trainer."

"Thank you," Clair said, "So now I spend my days taking on challengers. Such a boring life for me."

"The others are still actively warriors," Paul stated.

"Etsuo used to visit me a lot," Clair said, "Especially after Arashi died. Oh how I'm going to miss both of them."

"Isamu's never come to see you then?" Drew asked.

"Never," Clair replied, "Isamu and I haven't seen eye to eye for a while, mostly because I despise Akiko with every fibre of my being."

"Nice to know," Drew commented.

"In retrospect, Ichiro and I were rather awful parents to him," Clair mused, "Ichiro would bully him and I would let it happen, too scared to stop it. It wasn't until Akiko came into his life that someone finally stood up to him but that was still sixteen long years of abuse. What's wrong with him now?"

"He seemed to have become possessed by something," Paul explained. Clair's eyes widened in shock and worry, then she recoiled from the table slightly. Her eyes dropped onto the gold painted teapot on the table, her shoulders sagging. "We don't know what it is but he became one of those… Shadow warriors?"

"I see," Clair muttered. She closed her eyes as she thought about something.

"Akiko seems to think you know something about it," Paul went on, "Mostly, though, she's worried."

"I can imagine," Clair said. She reached up and massaged the bridge of her nose with her finger and thumb.

"So do you know anything?" Drew asked slowly, glancing at Paul who merely nodded. Clair took in a deep breath. She glanced up into Paul's almost identical eyes, smiling ever so slightly at the familiarity of them.

"It was my husband's plan," Clair stated, "A long time ago he came across a man, Makkurana, who filled his head with strange ideas. It was around the time I was pregnant with Isamu and I was starting to worry about Ichiro quite a bit."

"Who was this Makkurana?" Paul asked.

"I have no idea," Clair replied honestly, "He came and went whenever he pleased."

"So after Isamu was born," Drew prompted Clair.

"Ichiro got worse," Clair went on, "He began being cruel to the baby, sometimes making me leave him for hours while he cried. It was heart breaking. Even Seiko thought it was odd-"

"Seiko?" Paul asked at the same time as Ash and Drew.

"Seiko… Churitsu," Clair said slowly, "Akiko's mother. Hasn't she ever told you about her?"

"Never," Paul grunted. He rubbed his head roughly. What was it with his family and not telling him about need to know things? It felt as though there was a huge conspiracy blooming around him somehow, where his uncle and his mother were trying to hide something from him. Why were they hiding all of this-

Paul's eyes widened suddenly. His heart hammered against his chest painfully causing him to get to his feet sharply.

"Paul?" Ash asked.

"What's wrong?" Drew demanded to know. Paul didn't look at them. Instead he went into his bag by his feet and pulled out a short dagger.

"Wait here," was all he said before he disappeared into smoke. Drew and Ash yelled in annoyance at being left behind with no reason why.

"I wonder what that was about," Silver muttered.

"Is Paul married by any chance?" Clair asked.

"Yeah," Drew replied, "To our friend Dawn. She's at Akari Headquarters."

"That's why," Clair said getting to her feet, "Something must have happened there. I can return you there if you'd like. Arashi let me keep an open portal home just in case and I doubt Kiboji would have known about it to close it."

"This is just all too weird for my tastes," Drew commented as Clair moved towards the door. She glanced back at Drew like she was confused.

"Doesn't anything surprise you?" she asked.

"Depends what you're telling me," Drew replied, "If you say you've got a voodoo portal to take us back to the others, I'm not going to question it."

"We'll come too," Suzume said boldly. Silver glanced at her, not at all surprised, but doubtful Clair would let them follow. To his surprise, Clair nodded.

"Let's hurry," Drew told the others, "There could be something big going down."

"I agree," Ash said, "What else would get Paul disappearing like that?"

~K~

Paul ducked a blade swinging for his head, rolling onto the floor then getting back to his feet a little way away. Dawn jumped backwards, colliding into Paul and sending them both onto the floor.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered as he rubbed his head.

"I thought we'd be able to contain him," Akiko yelled from the other side of the hall, "Obviously not."

"What gave you that idea?" Paul called back.

"He was fine until Misty said May was throwing up again," Dawn told Paul, "Then he went back to this."

"So he's after May," Paul grumbled, "Great. Just great."

"OI!" Akiko yelled causing everyone in the room to stop whatever they were doing to stare at her. Luxio and Luxray, who had been keeping Isamu contained in a cage made out of their combined Discharge attacks, turned to stare at Akiko. Kiboji too, whose hand was clasped round the sword of his Katana, paused to stare at his aunt, his face falling when he realised her sword was lodged in the wall. Paul and Dawn exchanged looks then got to their feet.

"Right," Akiko went on, "You are thoroughly annoying me now."

"Kiko," Kiboji said, "I don't think he can hear you."

Akiko was about to open her mouth when the doors of the throne room began to open.

"Get out!" Kiboji yelled then froze as Isamu almost sliced his arm off, "That was close."

Akiko watched as a red haired warrior rushed into the room and kicked Isamu in the back causing the Akari to go flying into the wall.

"How did he get here?" Akiko asked, disappearing and reappearing next to Paul in her usual smoke.

"He was with Clair," Paul replied.

"Ew… Clair," Akiko moaned. She pushed Paul forwards suddenly causing him to stumble. "Off you go, son."

"Thanks," Paul muttered then sprang off into action. Akiko merely stood waiting with her arms folded beside Dawn.

"This whole thing is just a spectacle," Akiko was mumbling, "A 'let's see if we can break the Akari' fad."

"Akiko," Dawn groaned, "Can't you stop him?"

"I wish I could," Akiko replied, "However when ever Isamu and I fought it would turn into a stalemate. It's best for other people to try and kill him, not me. They might actually succeed."

Dawn let out a sigh. Something caught her eye. Someone with Isamu's hair colour was walking towards them. She was wearing a tight body suit and a long cape, her gaze turned to the fighting a little way away in the throne room. Soon the woman was stood close to Akiko and Dawn, her attention strictly on the fighting.

"I wouldn't mind," Akiko went on, "But the only person I can think to ask for help is Arashi… but he's dead."

"What about Sayuri?" Dawn asked, remembering Arashi's pink haired wife fondly. Akiko chuckled darkly to herself.

"Sayuri, really?" Akiko said, "What do you suppose, Ibuki?"

Akiko turned to face the woman close to them, a small smile on her face to show good humour. The expression didn't last long. Within seconds Akiko's eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open slightly. She gasped and stumbled backwards, still managing to stay upright. Dawn instantly turned to see what was going on, her resulting gasp echoing in the throne room despite the noise from the fighting.

Akiko glanced down at her chest as pain ebbed there slowly. Embedded in her heart was a dagger, albeit a very nice dagger with a dragon engraved in the golden handle, but Akiko was no position to admire it.

"Akiko?" Dawn asked quickly, then turned her head to the blue haired woman, "Why did you do that?"

"I had to," the woman replied.

Akiko fell backwards onto her bum, still staring at the dagger in her chest. She gasped for air, a trickle of blood starting from the corner of her mouth. She glanced up at the woman then rolled her eyes before she passed out on the floor.

The fighting instantly stopped.

"What the hell are you doing!" Kiboji yelled at his grandmother. He ran towards Akiko but came to an abrupt stop as he heard Isamu cough and splutter loudly.

The kimono around Isamu's heart began to darken instantly with what looked like blood. He seemed to snap to his senses suddenly, looking around for Akiko.

"Aki," he gasped, falling to his knees. Paul grabbed him by the arm and transported him close to his wife in an instant. Once beside her, Isamu grabbed her hand then toppled over, unconscious.

"You should get them to the hospital," Clair stated.

"What the hell did you do?" Kiboji asked, sizing up to his grandmother, "If you've killed them-"

"She hasn't," Paul replied sharply. He was knelt down beside the couple, his hands on their pulses. He glanced up at his brother offering him a sympathetic look.

"Churitsu Warriors are hard to kill," Clair explained, "When they marry they become bonded in a way no other living thing is. They become one soul. In war, if the warrior is hurt gravely, the wife at home will take on some of his injuries so he can continue to fight. That's all I've done."

"You almost killed Akiko so you could knock out Isamu?" Dawn asked.

"Well, not that I have an opinion on this," Silver, the red head, commented, "But this seems stupid considering we're now two warriors down rather than one."

Paul got to his feet sharply as the bodies of his mother and uncle suddenly glowed white then disappeared. He let out a sigh, then rubbed his head.

"Well, Gardevoir and Gallade will be annoyed at you," Paul told Clair, "But they're in the hospital now."

"Good," Clair said, holding her nose high in the air, "You wouldn't understand this anyway."

"Oh no, I understand it," Paul replied.

"So do I," Dawn muttered, "At least… I can trust Clair is telling the truth."

"How so?" Kiboji asked.

"Well, I sometimes get bruises that I can't explain," Dawn said, "Or my muscles ache for no reason."

"I get scrapes and grazes that I can't account for," Paul added, "And burns on my ears."

"Sorry," Dawn muttered, "That's the straightners."

"I'm banning you from using them again," Paul told her.

"That's not me!" Dawn argued, "That's when May does it."

"You let her near hot clampy things?" Paul asked, genuinely horrified.

"Well," Silver said dryly, "I don't envy you."- he glanced at Kiboji- "And I thought my marriage was bad."

"Enough," Kiboji snapped, making everyone fall silent. He turned to Paul and Dawn, pointing at them dangerously. "You two, sort out your problems on your own time-" he turned to Silver, still pointing menacingly, "-Whoever you are, you can shut it for now until I can actually stop freaking out enough to give you a witty comeback to your marriage-" finally he turned to Clair mustering up the scariest finger pointing he could manage "-And you, _Grandmother_, what the hell did you do that for? Are you completely mad?"

"Kibo," Paul said calmly, "Breathe. That's it. Breathe…"

Kiboji took in several deep breaths, composing himself the best he could. When he had calmed down he turned to his youngest brother.

"Arrest her," he ordered.

"What?" Dawn and Clair barked.

"On… what grounds?" Paul asked, a little uncertain if he was joking or not.

"For severally pissing me off!" Kiboji yelled. With that he turned and stormed out of the throne room, not even pausing to yell at Reggie who was stood on the other side of the door.

Dawn crouched down to pet both Luxray and Luxio on the heads, ignoring the short banter between Paul and Clair before Paul got fed up, grabbed her wrist and transported them away. Silver stood motionless with his arms folded.

"Is this usual?" he asked her. Dawn giggled and stood up.

"Welcome to the Akari," she replied.

~K~

_Akiko's sobs echoed through the empty hospital wing as Isamu silently made his way to her bed. He paused at the sight of her. _

_She was sat up in the bed, her covers hanging off to one side. She was cuddling on leg up to her chest, her hair hiding her face which was no doubt streamed with tears. Her shoulders juddered with every loud sob she made. _

"_Akiko," he stated. Her head whipped up so he could finally see her face. He wished he hadn't._

_Gone was the warrior he thought he knew. Gone was that aloof mask and the determination in her eyes. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying with stray tears still sliding down her cheeks. Her mouth hung open, speechless._

"_I came to check up on you," Isamu said. She didn't say anything until she had lowered her forehead back onto her knee._

"_I'm fine," she replied in a monotone. _

"_I wanted to thank you," Isamu continued, "For helping Mamoru today."_

"_It was nothing," again the monotone said._

"_Arashi told me you were in a bit of a state," Isamu said, "But I never imagined this."_

_She remained silent and still, perhaps cursing Arashi in her mind. _

"_Do you need anything?" Isamu asked finally, giving up._

"_I need you to leave me alone," Akiko replied._

"_I only came to check up on you," Isamu snapped at her, "I thought I owed you that much."_

"_Owed me that much?" her eyes were on him, a fire burning in them. It looked like she was going to kill him any second. Her hair was hanging wildly round her face like she'd taken to attempting to rip it out of her head. "Since when have you owed me anything?"_

"_You saved my friend," Isamu stated._

"_Oh screw him," Akiko snarled, "You're only here to see how bad I am. To see if you'll be a widower soon. I'm sorry to disappoint you but it appears that I will live… Thanks to you."_

"_Are you blaming me for helping you?" Isamu asked heatedly, "Fine, I wish I'd left you there on your own if this was the thanks I was going to get."_

"_I wish you had too!" Akiko yelled, "I wish you'd turned your back and never looked back!"_

_The still hospital rang with Akiko's voice. Isamu took a step backwards with the venom she had in her tone. She really was going to kill him, wasn't she? After all he'd done for her today: he'd saved her. _

"_Why couldn't you just leave me," Akiko continued, her voice trembling with tears now, "Why couldn't you just leave me? Haven't I suffered enough?"_

"_What are you talking about?" Isamu snapped. _

"_Every day of my life since I met you, I have suffered so badly… Why couldn't you just let that suffering end?" Akiko asked, "Why couldn't you just let me die? Are you so cruel that you had to let me live just so I could suffer even longer?"_

_Isamu didn't know whether he should run or get closer to her. Obviously she was in distress and he had caused it but he was still at a loss what she was going on about. If she was going to attack him, he'd rather she'd just get on with it rather than her weeping this pathetically. _

_She ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm herself down but whatever she was thinking, it was just making her worse. _

"_Why did you save me?" she asked, "Did you do it to spite me?"_

"_You were defending my friend-"_

"_Don't give me that crap," she snapped, "You just couldn't come back to your brother to tell him you'd left me there. Could you?"_

_Isamu remained silent as her eyes bore into his. That flame of hatred blazing in her eyes made him feel a little uneasy. _

"_Because you love Arashi so much, you couldn't do the decent thing and let me die!"_

"_Why do you want to die so badly?" Isamu asked sharply, "Because if you want to die, go ahead and… jump off a cliff or something. Just stop yelling at me for trying to help you."_

"_Why do I want to… I want this to end," Akiko cried, "I want to stop feeling so…"_

"_Weak?" Isamu suggested, "Pathetic?"_

"_Like there's a dagger in my heart that is slowly twisting me into oblivion," Akiko snapped, "And the holder of the dagger is the same bastard who saved me today."_

"_What have I done?" Isamu roared, "I try to be decent and you tell me I'm wrong."_

"_You're decent today but tomorrow you'll be wishing I was dead," Akiko yelled back. She turned on the bed so her legs were over one side of the bed. Gracefully she got to her feet and leant on the bed. "You're a cruel person, heartless. Everyone else has treated you like you're the worst thing on the planet. Your father hates you, your mother and two brothers daren't stand up to him. The only person who loves you and supports you is the same person you want dead every single waking moment of every single day, and I'm fed up of being nothing but a… a scapegoat of all your hatred. The happiest moment of my life was finding out that I would marry you and you destroyed it by saying that I was just another hand me down from your oldest brother!"_

_Isamu was stunned, that was easy to see as all the colour drained out of his face. He stood half paralysed on the spot as Akiko sat down on the bed, panting slightly. Tears were still gushing down her face. _

"_Now leave me alone! Just leave me alone! Just go and never look back like you should have done today! Just let me rot away! Just let me die!" she screamed. She collapsed onto the bed weeping hysterically, shouting 'leave' at various intervals. Eventually, Isamu turned and left the scene as fast as he could without running. The moment he was outside the hospital he stopped, leaning on the closest wall. _

_Oh Arceus… What had he done…_

**So ending on a flashback. I really enjoy writing Akiko and Isamu bits, especially the bits before they got along with each other ^_^ This may be a bit confusing but there will be explanations next time. I'll update again tomorrow!**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	10. Shinjitsu

**As promised, part two of my update ^_^ I've had a few people saying they're confused but this chapter should straighten things out for you. And I hope people aren't too put off by Clair being Paul's grandmother. I thought it went really well since out of all the people in Pokémon, Clair has the elder-y people in Blackthorn. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**I own nothing but my OCs and plot.**

**Chapter Ten: Shinjitsu**

_Isamu awoke the day after to the loud knocking on his door. He'd had very little sleep that night so being awoken by heavy hammering on his door was not the best way to start the day. The knocking soon ended and Arashi rushed into the bedroom. He paused at the door and then started looking round the room like a maniac, even sprinting over to the bathroom to check in there for something. _

"_What have you lost?" Isamu asked, yawning._

"_Have you seen Akiko?" Arashi asked, "She didn't come here, did she?"_

"_You've got to be kidding me," Isamu replied, purely out of instinct before the memory of the night before flooded back to him and he shot out of bed. Arashi jumped as Isamu grabbed his arm tightly. "What do you mean?"_

"_She's gone from the hospital," Arashi replied calmly, "I thought she'd come home."_

"_No… Oh no," Isamu groaned. He rushed over to the wardrobe, pulling on the first clothes he laid hands on. Arashi stared blankly as his brother stripped off in front of him and got dressed into clean clothes. _

"_Sorry to sound surprised… but are you worried about her?" Arashi asked._

"_We had… an argument last night," Isamu replied as he pulled a t-shirt over his head. He finished zipping up his jeans a moment later. _

"_That's not unusual," Arashi commented._

"_No, I mean the argument of the century," Isamu snapped, "She… Oh no…"_

"_Oh no, what?" Arashi yelled, losing his temper, "Tell me or so help me…"_

"_She threatened to kill herself," Isamu replied quickly, "Said that she hated her life because of me."_

"_She doesn't hate you," Arashi snapped back._

"_She hates me right now because of how I treat her," Isamu replied sharply, "How long did you know?"_

"_Did I know what?"_

"_That she loved me?"_

"_Erm…" Arashi thought about it for a second before he frowned, "What has that got to do with anything?"_

"_You knew?" Isamu yelled, "And you never took me to one side, slap me over the head and tell me? Not even when… Well, when I was horrible to her?"_

"_Er… No…" Arashi replied._

"_You're a horrible friend," Isamu growled, "All this time I thought she hated me as much as I hated her. I never even thought she could like me."_

"_And you never tried to change that?" Arashi said boredly, "What's this got to do with anything?"_

"_She yelled at me for saving her life," Isamu explained quickly, "Said I was being horrible to her by letting her live just so I could be mean to her for longer. She said she wish I'd just left her to die and I told her…"_

"_You told her what?" Arashi asked, now sounding concerned. All he got was a rather hurried swear word from his younger brother before he ran off, shoeless, out of the room. He returned seconds later to pick up his trainers which he hastily pulled on, then ran off again._

"_Well," Arashi mused as his brother disappeared for the second time, "I have no idea what's going on. I'll check the training room… I guess…"_

"_Get out of the way! Out of the way!" Isamu yelled as he sprinted through headquarters, dodging as many people as he could. He was heading for the portal so he could find Akiko before she did anything stupid. Damn it, how had he been such an idiot? All that time… She had been there for him, standing up to his father for him. He thought she was just trying to get his father to hate him more, but now that he thought about it… He was an idiot._

"_Out of the way!" he yelled again as he reached the portal._

"_Going somewhere?" his uncle asked as he skidded to a halt right in front of the portal. Juro, his second uncle was a very humorous man who beamed at Isamu as he came to stop._

"_Oh, just to stop my wife from killing herself," Isamu replied, "Seeya."_

"_Well… that's a new one," Juro commented as Isamu jumped through the portal, then merely went on his way as if nothing odd had happened. _

_Isamu literally fell flat on his face as the portal dropped him off. The moment he looked around her knew he was in the right place. This was the place where Akiko came to think. He pushed himself off of the soft grass and hurried towards the tall cherry blossom tree which stood by the cliff side where the sea would crash against the chalk cliffs. He saw her immediately hovering on the edge of the grass, however he was so busy staring at her that he ran straight into the trunk of the tree. He hugged the wood, getting his breath back._

_Akiko was stood wearing her hospital robe with no shoes on. In her hands she clasped the handle of her faithful sword. She was going to do it._

_Isamu didn't know how he felt about this. On the one hand he felt like he should stop her jumping but on the other he felt as though he should let her, if she felt so strongly about ending her life. But what would life be like without Akiko? What would it hold with her in his life? What did his life even matter anyway? Like she had pointed out to him the night before, his father hated him and his mother and brothers let the abuse happen. The only person in the world who acted as though they cared for him was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Then the guilt attacked him, the horrible nearly heart stopping guilt of how horrible he had treated her over the past years. How could he ever get over that? He owed her more apologises than days in a year. He felt dead inside, like a dagger was twisting into his heart._

_If she was going to do it, he was too. _

_Slowly, as though not to make her jump, he walked over to her. He stood next to her silently, causing her to glance at him. _

"_You going to do it?" he asked._

"_Yes," she replied quietly. There was a pause then he slipped a hand into hers. She glanced down at the action then looked up at him as he took in a deep breath._

"_I'm ready," he told her._

"_So am I," she agreed. Neither of them moved. Perhaps they were too captivated in watching the pink sun rise in front of their very eyes or maybe they just couldn't stomach jumping. Finally Isamu stepped backwards, tugging Akiko so that she fell away from the cliff edge and into his arms. _

"_What are you doing?" she hissed._

"_Taking a different leap," he replied, "A leap of grovelling up to you for the next hundred years for being so cruel."_

"_I don't understand," Akiko stated, "You hate me."_

"_Yeah… Well, I'm not prepared to let you die," he said sheepishly, "The only person in the world who's not afraid to love me… I can't let that slip away, can I?"_

"_I still don't-" she was silenced by Isamu placing a finger on her lips. She was taken aback and fell silent._

"_If we jump," he said, nodding his head at the cliff, "We jump together, hand in hand, when everything seems lost and there's no way out. Promise?"_

"_Promise," Akiko muttered._

"_But for now…" Isamu trailed off, "I'm sorry."_

_Akiko didn't say anything; she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Isamu was certain she had passed out when she suddenly became heavier, but he didn't mind. He shuffled on the spot then picked her up._

"_Looks like I'm in for the long run," he muttered, staring at her peaceful face. He turned round sharply, thinking he had heard something but as it happened he saw nothing but the shadows receding in the morning sun._

"May?"

May opened her eyes slowly and sat up. Misty stared at her friend, quite worried about what was going on.

"What's wrong?" May asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You passed out," Misty replied.

"Oh," May said, "Well, I feel better now."

"Are you sure?" Misty asked.

"May?" Dawn and another girl rushed into the room. The new girl had long brown hair with black tips, wearing all red clothing. She stared at May before turning to Dawn.

"You're right, she is sick," she said.

"This is Suzume," Dawn introduced the girl, "She's a Priestess."

"Why do I need a Priestess?" May yelped.

"I'm just here to help since Akiko's in hospital and Clair's been arrested," Suzume replied, giggling at the end of her sentence.

"Who's Clair?" May asked.

"Wait, Akiko's in hospital?" Misty yelled, "Why?"

"She was stabbed by Clair," Dawn replied, "Paul's grandmother, so they could stop Isamu… It's a long story."

"Stabbed?" May asked, then added to herself: "Like a dagger twisting into his heart…"

There was a spell of short silence as the other girls stared at May.

"What are you talking about?" Misty asked.

"How did she know where Akiko was stabbed?" Suzume asked Dawn in a stage whisper. Dawn didn't reply as May looked round dumbly. Finally May let out a sigh.

"I had a dream," May replied, "While I was out cold. Where Akiko was in hospital and she had an argument with Isamu then he realised he had been very mean to her and stopped her from throwing herself off a cliff."

"OK," Misty said loudly, "Because that's not weird."

"It's the second one I've had about the pair of them…" May added, "The first was the night before we met Paul and Itsuki."

"I need to go talk to someone," Dawn said, "Suzume, would you mind staying?"

"Not at all," Suzume replied.

Dawn flashed the girls a quick smile then raced out of the room. She was only just in the hallway when Paul evaporated out of thin air right in front of her. Dawn squealed, flinging out her arms so she bear hugged him rather than knocked him flying. Paul caught her easily and let out a long sigh as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Stop doing that," Dawn told him as she pushed away from him, "Honestly, you're going to get yourself hurt."

"What's wrong?" Paul asked her, "You seemed distressed."

"I need to talk to your grandmother," Dawn replied, "Well… Actually I could do with talking to Akiko."

"Clair's in the room next to ours," Paul told her, "I'll go and work on my mother. I think she can fill in some of the blanks."

"I think I need to talk to Kiboji and Reggie too," Dawn let out a deep sigh, "And Isamu."

"I'll see what I can do," Paul replied, "I'll let Kibo and Rei know you want to talk."

"Thanks," Dawn said as Paul disappeared again. Dawn turned on her heel and began marching towards the room where Clair was residing. She didn't even bother to knock as she entered the room, finding the blue haired woman sat on the sofa pouring herself some tea.

Clair glanced up as Dawn entered her room, her eyes following Dawn as she walked towards the sofa.

"You want to talk," Clair stated.

"Not until Kiboji and Reggie get here," Dawn replied. As soon as she had finished speaking, Kiboji and Reggie rushed into the room looking unnerved. They paused when they realised that Dawn was just talking to Clair.

"Damn it, Shin," Kiboji complained, "The way you said Dawn was Clair's room made it sound like Dawn was going to kill her."

"What's wrong, Dawn?" Reggie asked.

"I need to talk to all of you," Dawn replied, sitting down on a stool beside the coffee table, "It's about May."

"Fine," Kiboji moaned, jumping over the back of the sofa opposite Clair and landing comfortably on the cushion. Reggie opted to walk round the sofa to sit down. When the two boys were settled, Dawn began to talk.

"As much as I could do with talking to Akiko about this," Dawn said, giving Clair a glance, "I suppose you three will remember some of this stuff."

"Shoot," Kiboji said.

"May seems to be having dreams," Dawn explained, "About Isamu and Akiko. I don't know the first but the second was of Akiko and Isamu having an argument in the hospital then she went to jump off a cliff and Isamu stopped her."

"Oh, I remember that," Kiboji said, "Yeah, Isamu carried her back through the portal. Man was she unconscious. Dad thought she was dead."

"That was the last time they argued," Clair told them, "They had minor tiffs but nothing as bad as before. I remember Ichiro, Kiboji and Reiji's grandfather, yelling at Isamu for not letting Akiko die and Isamu walked out."

"That was a whole new shade of purple I had never seen before," Kiboji laughed, "Grandpa's face went magenta, I swear."

"Ichiro never liked Isamu much," Clair told them, "I've already told this to Shinji. Ichiro was cruel on purpose."

"So the incident May saw… It happened?" Dawn asked. Clair nodded.

"They went above ground to Ecruteak," Clair replied, "I have no idea why Akiko went, but Isamu went to see Mamoru when they were attacked. Mamoru's… whatever she was, was almost killed when-"

"Akiko saved her and almost got killed in the process," Dawn gasped, "I remember Liaden telling me that."

"Liaden?" Kiboji asked.

"The Liaden?" Clair barked. Dawn nodded.

"Akiko's grandmother, yes," Dawn said, remembering two years before when she had been in Ecruteak City with Paul. When Dawn had been upset about Paul hanging around with one of the local girls, Yoko, she had bumped into a strange woman who said she was Akiko's grandmother and told her about Akiko and Isamu as well as a short history of her parents. Thinking about it now, Dawn understood why Liaden had told her all of that. "That makes sense now."

"So," Reggie said, "If May's seeing things in the past…"

"It means something freaky is going on," Kiboji told his younger brother.

"And May's illness?" Reggie asked Dawn.

"Well, Akiko was about to tell me what was wrong with May but then Isamu went crazy so she never got round to telling me," Dawn replied, again glancing at Clair.

"What are symptoms?" Clair asked.

"Nausea, dizzy spells, loss of appetite," Dawn replied.

"Hey," Kiboji said, "I'm no expert on this but that sounds awfully like-"

"But May hasn't… ever done it," Dawn said, "We took a vow."

"Who's we?" Kiboji asked.

"Misty, May and I," Dawn said, "When we were younger. We vowed never to 'do it' until we were really sure and the others were too."

"You have to clear it with them?" Kiboji asked, a bright smile on his face. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Oh hush," she snapped, "I only agreed to it because May wanted me to."

"So, that rules out that," Reggie said.

"Actually it doesn't," Paul said as he walked into the room. He glanced round before walking over to the sofa and sitting next to Reggie. "Akiko's apparently 'shut down' at the minute. When she begins thinking again, I've asked Gardevoir to project her."

"Smart," Kiboji commented.

"Mum asked me to look up the yokoku sa tenshi-ko," Paul said.

"That's a folk tale," Clair scoffed.

"Explain," Kiboji said.

"In legend it was the child who would foresee the start of a new era," Clair told them, "It's the child of the changing of ways through prophecy."

"Again, I ask you to explain," Kiboji snapped.

"Literally translated it means previous notice difference angel child," Paul told his brother, "But I have no idea what that means."

"The story goes that at the time of shadows approaching, their heir would be born into the light to act as a prior warning," Clair said with a sigh, "But it's just folk law."

"So is Liaden," Paul stated, causing everyone to stare at him, "Yet mum and Dawn have spoken to her."

"So it might not be just folk law," Kiboji said, "If it's not, what does it mean?"

"We're all screwed?" Reggie offered.

"In the folk law, it said that the Angel Child would be born into a vessel pure and close to the light but would be chased after by the shadows until the child was back with its people in the Shadows. The Shadows are just folk law too."

"But we have Shadow Warriors," Paul stated. Clair thought for a second then smiled.

"The story goes that the vessel would be the bride of a proud emerald prince," Clair said, "So we have nothing to worry about."

"Emerald?" Dawn asked, "Like Diamond? Is it like a clan of ninjas?"

"Erm… Yes," Kiboji said, "They're all a bunch of green haired freaks who live in Hoenn."

Paul suddenly put his head in his hands. Kiboji glanced at his brother, wondering what had just gotten into him. Slowly Paul sat up straight.

"Dawn, tell me that none of your friends are from Hoenn," Paul said.

"May is," Dawn replied, "Oh and I think Drew is too but he never speaks about his family. Why do you… Oh no…"

"Isamu going crazy at the mention of May," Paul said, turning his attention onto Dawn and ignoring everyone else in the room.

"May's pregnancy like symptoms," Dawn added, "Oh my, the crush."

"The not being surprised at anything," Paul said.

"The coolness and the getting chucked around," Dawn said, standing up, "The standing up to Isamu."

"Troublesome Girl!" Paul yelled suddenly, "You always find trouble."

"It's not my fault! How was I supposed to know! It's not a question you ask everyone!" Dawn shouted back. She turned to the side as if she was addressing an invisible person. "Oh hello, new person. Can I ask before I go anywhere with you, are you a member of a _ninja_ clan?"

"A head's up would be nice," Paul snapped. Slowly Kiboji raised his hand high.

"What's going on," he asked shakily.

"We have an Emerald in the ranks," Paul replied testily, "Big stinking grass head."

He leant forwards, grabbing Dawn by the wrist. Before anyone could ask what was going on, the pair had disappeared into smoke. Kiboji glanced at his grandmother who returned a worried expression.

"See this is what happens when you try to kill members of our family," he snapped.

"Nobody complained last time," Clair replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "It all worked out rather well."

"Huh?" Kiboji groaned. Reggie, on the other hand, got to his feet.

"We should see where those two went," he said, "Before they start an inter-clan war."

"Right with you, Zubatman," Kiboji agreed.

**So, Paul and Dawn have worked out what is going on… at last! *sigh* I should have put a confusion alert on this and no doubt people may moan at the cliché of it but… :P**

**Happy second update!**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	11. Oji

**Well, you have caught up with me, dear readers ^_^ I hope you enjoyed the double update last week.**

**Thanks to: pokemonpuppy23, LovelyLily13, Desertdawn101, MajorlyObsessedIkarishipper, splitheart1120, Kira and Seth, Sjir-sama, Dani4Short, RaveOn21turned23, Emerald Eme-Pon Walker, Kitsune300, Horselover, Iloveikari, AwesomeWolfLover and xRissychanx for reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and plot ^_^**

**Chapter Eleven: Oji**

Drew was sat upside down on the sofa of the living room area he shared with Kenny and Ash. He was attempting to read a book but so far it was a little difficult, what with Kenny yelling at Ash for making a mess. With a sigh, Drew turned the page of his book, then continued reading until he felt a shadow descend on him.

"Keep calm," Dawn told Paul, "Don't be mean."

"I'm always calm and nice," Paul replied.

"You're like a Houndoom," Dawn snorted. Paul scoffed and turned to face Drew.

"Hey, Grasshead," Paul greeted. Drew immediately put down his book, staring at the upside down version of Paul.

"What's up?" Drew asked lazily, "May chugging her guts up again or something?"

"No, she's fine," Paul said, "We need to talk to you."

"You are," Drew told them, a smirk appearing on his haughty face.

"It's just that… Erm… We know very little about you and… Well, Kiboji just wanted some extra background information on you," Dawn said, glancing at Paul at every pause.

"I'm from Hoenn, I'm a co-ordinator, I like the colour green and I'm awfully fond of roses," Drew listed for them, his eyes returning to his book, "Oh, and my parents are rich."

"What do your parents do for a living?" Dawn asked.

"This and that," Drew replied with a shrug.

"Jewellers, by any chance?" Paul asked, causing Drew to look at him, "I mean working with jewels like diamonds, pearls and… emeralds, is quite a high paying job."

"I'm not sure," Drew said slowly, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh it's nothing really," Dawn laughed.

"Emerarudo-han no kōkei-sha," Paul said suddenly. Fear flashed in Drew's eyes for a second. With a graceful flip, he was stood up behind the sofa ready to run at the slightest inclination of a threat on his life.

"Paul!" Dawn snapped at him, "What did you say to him?"

"Heir apparent of the Emerald Clan," Paul stated. Drew relaxed and rubbed his nose with his finger.

"Oh," Drew laughed, "Is that all. Sorry, I thought you said something about killing everyone from the Emerald Clan. My Japanese is way bad."

Paul glared at Drew like he was thoroughly unimpressed by the whole thing. Drew didn't seem too bothered by any of this, a large grin present on his face. Paul had never understood the Emerald Clan, they seemed rather odd. With a sigh, Paul turned to Dawn.

"I'm going with Reggie on this one," he said, "We are screwed."

"Drew," Dawn snapped, turning to Drew who flinched, "What do you know about the… What is it?"

"Yokoku sa tenshi-ko," Paul replied.

"That," Dawn said. Drew looked a little confused then he laughed.

"That's folk law," Drew told her, "We Emeralds are the most peaceful of the Clans. It's laughable that so much rests on us."

"You knew all along? About the Clans?" Dawn yelled, jumping onto the sofa. A hand grabbed Drew's collar, pulling Drew up towards Dawn's angry face. Drew laughed nervously.

"Well, it's not a question one asks a friend," Drew told her.

"Fair enough," Dawn said, dropping him onto the floor, "But when they attacked us on the beach, why didn't you help me?"

"The Emerald Clan play the peacemakers," Paul explained, "The idea that they can actually fight is laughable."

"Says you, Akari," Drew shouted, "Up yours."

"See what I mean," Paul offered, "He'd much rather yell at me than hit me."

Drew let out a sigh, folding his arms over his chest. He seemed suddenly quite sullen about the whole thing. After all, he'd tried so hard not to get caught out with all of this so far just so he could keep close to his friends. He stared at Paul for a second then glanced at Dawn.

"What do you want from me?" Drew asked.

"Nothing," Paul replied, "We just needed to know."

"It's about May," Dawn added, "We know what's wrong with her now."

"And we know we're all doomed," Paul said.

"Oh… Again? Bummer," Drew chuckled, "Well, it's been nice knowing you and all. Can I go back to my book now?"

"Actually, I have a job for you," Paul replied with a coy smile on his lips. Drew gulped nervously as Paul jumped over the sofa and landed right in front of him. Paul clamped a hand round Drew's shoulders and steered him towards the door. "I need to go see my dear Uncle and you'll be perfect to come with me."

"Oh… Alright," Drew gulped.

"If my life was complicated before, then this just takes the cake," Dawn muttered to herself as she watched her husband march one of her most trusted friends out of the open door. She paused on the spot as Ash walked into the room holding a large tub of ice cream in his hands.

"Hi Dawn," he greeted, "Where's Drew gone?"

"Out… With Paul, apparently," Dawn replied.

"Hey, Dawn," Ash said to her, his face becoming serious for a second. Dawn was about to get worried about the oncoming question Ash was going to shoot at her when she realised she was, in fact, talking to Ash. Ash had the philosophical range of a banana skin. He wasn't going to ask questions about hard hitting truths or dark secrets, it was going to be something trivial. "Could I possibly go and see Professor Oak?"

"Of course," Dawn replied, "What for?"

"I'm thinking I may be needing Pikachu back from his vacation," Ash explained, a grin forming on his face. Dawn smiled and nodded.

"I'm right on it, Ash," she said.

~K~

Akiko was hovering eerily next to the throne as Kiboji walked into the throne room after his conversation with the other members of his family. He paused to give Akiko a look before he jumped a mile. She looked like a ghost hanging in mid-air, all pale and shimmering.

"Hey," he snapped, "A bit of warning next time."

"Oh, sorry," Akiko bit back sarcastically, "I'll go back to being comatose. Gardevoir-"

"No wait," Kiboji said hurriedly, "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just… glad you're alright. How's Isamu doing?"

"Bad," Akiko replied, "But better than me, physically at least. He's still out cold. Did I miss anything?"

"Well, basically we're all screwed," Kiboji told her, "The… whatever the angel child thing is in May at the minute and Drew is the Prince of the Emerald Clan."

"Didn't see that coming," Akiko muttered dryly, "Where is he now?"

"With Paul," Kiboji said quickly, "Going to the Churitsu."

"What?" Akiko yelled.

"Paul wanted to talk to Huyuko," Kiboji pouted, "He didn't even ask my permission."

"Oh, you'll get used to that," Akiko told Kiboji, smiling at him, "The number of times Isamu, Etsuo and I abused our powers and went over your father's head."

"Nice to know I've got years of this ahead of me," Kiboji mused.

"So my son has gone to talk to my brother with the green haired boy?" Akiko asked for clarification. Kiboji nodded as she returned to her thoughts. "So Ibuki told you about the child?"

"Yup."

"And you've worked it out?"

"Sort of."

"Well then… There's nothing else to do but go to the Ruins of Alph," Akiko muttered, "I guess that's as good a place to start than any."

"The Ruins of Alph?" Kiboji asked. Akiko's expression became serious for a few seconds as she mulled over her thoughts. Finally she bobbed her head.

"Do you know how folk law comes into existence? It's created through history that could only be passed on through word of mouth," Akiko explained, "Say something happened years before anyone could read or write, news of the day would be passed between people by travelling people who would speak the news."

"Oh… Like minstrels," Kiboji said. Akiko quickly nodded her head.

"But because there is no written evidence of some events, it leads to speculation and when people are re-telling their stories, they add their own bits," Akiko went on, "And so you get folk law. The Ruins in Johto are the perfect place to go and find out stuff. They're far older than anything else and it may give us a clue on where to go next."

"Why those ruins? There are plenty of other ruins all over the world we could go and look at," Kiboji asked, merely out of curiosity.

"I'm not sure," Akiko admitted, "But there's just something calling me there."

"Well, when you're healthy," Kiboji told her, "Since you seem to know what we're looking for."

"It could be a while before I'm fit to do anything," Akiko replied, "When Paul gets back, I'll have a word with him. Why has he gone to see my brother?"

"I have no idea," Kiboji sighed, "Feels like a wild goose chase all of a sudden."

"My mother kept a lot of old stuff about folk law," Akiko said, "Tell Dawn to tell Paul that my sister Natsuko can help us. Unfortunately you have to go through Yuko to get to her."

"Erm… Alright," Kiboji mumbled, "But really? Natsuko?"

"She's the youngest of my sisters," Huyuko told Paul and Drew as they walked through the tall gothic archways of the Churitsu. While the Akari and Kurai were rather modest with their headquarters, the Churitsu were lavish in their decoration. Nearly everything was made out of solid marble with features and decorations finished in gold. The ceilings were high with the criss-cross of the columns embellished in gold. Between the gold, the ceilings were painted in traditional style Japanese watercolours, telling stories of great battles and dead rulers.

"There's four of you?" Drew asked.

"There was," Huyuko replied, "Haruko was killed by Akiko a few years back. Now there are only three of us."

"Dawn said we needed to talk to Natsuko," Paul told his uncle.

"Look, it's my only duty to look after my youngest sibling," Huyuko snapped, "I'm not going to let you just waltz in there and disturb her."

"Why don't you let people see her?" Drew asked, "She's not crazy or anything, is she?"

Even Paul seemed interested in this question as Huyuko came to a stop. He seemed torn between telling the truth and ignoring the question all together. For a brief moment Paul considered asking Dawn who Natsuko was but remembered he had no clue how she had talked to him in the first place. His thoughts began to drift away wondering if Dawn could read his mind. Now that was a scary thought. He wasn't hiding anything from his wife but Paul felt a slight tingle of fear as he wondered about Dawn's mind reading abilities. Did Akiko and Isamu have the same thing?

"Akiko never mentions her sister," Paul said slowly, "In fact, I know nothing of this side of my family."

"Family, huh?" Huyuko asked, "You're going to use that on me?"

"No, I'm just saying," Paul replied, "While I was training here I never saw you, my aunt or my grandfather. It just seems odd when the Akari side of my family are so open about our history. It makes us stronger in a way."

"You were definitely trained by Kiko," Huyuko snapped, "She used the same thing on me years ago to get to Natsuko."

"Akiko came here?" Paul asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Must have been a big deal for her to come home," Drew added, flashing a smirk at Paul, "Something really important."

"She just needed Natsuko's opinion on something," Huyuko said, then his tone turned rather sharp, "But you're not going to get to her. It's as simple as that. I don't care if you are my nephew, all my affairs with you are strictly Akari. Now, if you don't mind."

Without another word he strode off with his nose held high in the air. A few passer-bys paused to flash Paul and Drew a smile, obviously amused that their prince had gone off in a huff. Paul greeted a few of them with a respectful bow of the head.

"What now?" Drew asked, "We came to talk to him about something and now he's stormed off."

"It doesn't matter," Paul replied, facing the green haired teen, "I doubt he would have answered my question anyway."

"No kidding," Drew agreed, "He's like a steel fortress of information."

"If we could get to Natsuko," Paul said, "But how?"

"Ask for directions?" Drew suggested but Paul shook his head.

"We really could do with my mother," he said, "She probably pulls enough weight around here to get answers but I don't."

Paul glanced around, pausing as he noticed a familiar face in the crowd. She looked like Akiko but with a more childish looking face. Her hair was black but curly, cascading down her front beautifully. She flashed Paul a smile then turned and began to walk away.

"Let's go," Paul said, following the girl. Drew seemed confused but followed Paul anyway. It was hard to keep up with Paul when he was rushing through the crowds of warriors and ladies but with a spring in his step, Drew managed to keep up. He only really slowed down when he realised they were not away from the crowds in a long corridor.

"Paul?" Drew asked uncertainly, "Where are we?"

"No idea," Paul replied but that didn't make him stop. They rounded a corner onto a small, poorly lit alley with a large metal door at the end of it. The pair glanced at each other then carried on towards the door. When they were close to it, it squeaked open.

"Some one is expecting us," Drew commented, "I just hope they're friendly."

Paul didn't say anything. He slowly moved towards the door, his hand rising automatically as some sort of guard. Drew followed close to Paul, his head slightly ducked just in case he had to dodge something lethal in the next few seconds.

It was perhaps very strange when they stepped into the room to find a young looking girl sat with her Kirla next to her.

"I heard you were asking for me," she stated, "Please, come in. I won't hurt you, nephew dear."

Paul didn't budge as the girl stared at him. Now he was close to her he realised that she was an identical copy to Akiko but a little shorter with a rounder face. A few freckles were sprinkled across her nose making her look cuter than Akiko.

"I do look like your mother, don't I?" she asked, "I'm Natsuko."

"I gathered," Paul replied.

"Please sit," Natsuko ordered, "Then I shall tell you what you want to know."

"Fine," Paul said. He walked over to Natsuko and sat on a small stool in front of her. She offered him a smile as his eyes met hers.

"So where shall I begin?" Natsuko asked, "Oh yes, let's start on a familiar topic. The last time I got a guest from the Akari was when your father came to find me. He was awfully distressed about something and wanted my help."

"Really?" Paul humoured Natsuko. She nodded.

"He asked me to see when he would die," she went on, "He had seen a vision of his own death and wanted it to be clarified. I told him what he saw would come to pass."

"So you can see the future like my father could?" Paul asked.

"Without the use of a necklace, yes," Natsuko explained, "But I can also see the past too. My mother doted on me for that reason and would never allow anyone to abuse my powers. After she died and my sisters were married off, Huyuko became my protector. He keeps me in here day and night, thinking that this will protect me but it never will. Akiko visits from time to time but she comes less often now."

"I imagine," Paul commented.

"You came here for answers, both of you," Natsuko said, addressing Drew for the first time since he walked into the room. She smiled across at him. "Shu, is that your name?"

"Yeah," Drew replied.

"My mother was very keen to take me to the Ruins of Alph," Natsuko said, "You'll be able to find out everything there. Akiko vaguely remembers where I used to go a lot. Mother said knowing my history was important."

"The Ruins of Alph?" Drew asked, "In Johto?"

"Yes," Natsuko continued, "You've heard the prophecy, have you not? May will give birth to a beautiful child which will signal the end of the light in our world. The shadow warriors and their lords will take over everything unless they are defeated."

"And how do we defeat them?" Drew asked. Natsuko seemed to pause, turning to look at Kirla for inspiration. In the end the two of them looked at Paul then at Drew.

"There will be battles ahead," she said, "Some which you will win and others you shall lose. When the Clans are united together, the shadows will attack one final time and it will be up to the pure hearts to regain their powers."

"Pure hearts?" Paul asked.

"Yes, the purest hearts," Natsuko replied, "He is a boy of no ordinary upbringing, the favourite of his father. Gifted with everything he ever wanted but ignorant to the thing he needs. The plans set out for him will be undone by his parents who will have perished before the darkest day. The other is a girl of no value but worth her weight in diamonds. She will have lost everything on the darkest day, even half of herself. If she does not die, the world will fall."

"Sounds cheery," Drew commented weakly. Natsuko looked at him, smirking. "And if this girl doesn't die?"

"We will all die," Natsuko said, "In death she would be with her love but alive they are apart. Only by bringing them back together can the world be saved."

"And who are these people?" Paul asked.

"The girl is the hunted one," Natsuko replied, "And the boy is her prince. Neither knows of the other's love."

Paul turned to glare at Drew who tried his best to ignore his companion.

"She will be kidnapped and used," Natsuko went on, "His words will stop the dark from winning. They are complete opposites in every way."

"Names would be useful," Drew complained, "Is this about May?"

"I can not say," Natsuko replied casting her eyes down, "But the man of which I speak is here before me."

She looked up at Drew who took an uneasy step backwards.

"You must not lose hope," she told him sharply, "If you do then you can not win this fight."

"So the fate of the world rests on a grasshead," Paul stated, getting to his feet, "Brilliant."

"Everyone has their role to play. The boy with a Pikachu, the girl from the ocean. A baby, a dead man," Natsuko said, "Shinji, your-" but she was cut off by a noise outside the door. She chuckled darkly to herself as if she knew this was going to happen.

"Oh great, someone's coming," Drew moaned.

"You two should go home," Natsuko told them, "And tell my sister I wish her the best."

"Alright," Paul said, raising his eyebrow slightly at her.

"Now hurry," she told him, "Disappear out of here."

"Wait one second," Drew said but Paul grabbed his arm and teleported them out of the room not a moment too soon. Natsuko turned to face a black clad warrior stood in her doorway. She smirked a little then closed her eyes.

"Why did you do that?"

That was the first thing that alerted Dawn, Misty and May to the arrival of the two boys in the living room. Dawn looked up from her teapot to see where her husband was. It sounded like the two were in the bedroom but she couldn't be unsure until Drew clarified it for her.

"Why are we in your bedroom?"

"I was in a rush," Paul replied dryly, "I was trying to find Dawn."

"I'm in here," Dawn called. Paul walked out of the bedroom and leant on the door frame. The other two girls shrank back, confused as Drew stormed out of the room with a tomato red face. He paused at the front door, turning to point at Paul in a rather offensive manner.

"You stink," he yelled. His eyes slid onto May who was sat calmly on the sofa next to Misty. She seemed a little confused as Drew gulped, then ran out of the room, smacking into the door with his nose. He reddened even more and scurried out of the room.

"What was that about?" May asked innocently. Dawn glanced up at Paul as he gave a dark chuckle.

"Nothing," Paul replied, turning to look at Dawn who merely nodded. May groaned in confusion as she looked between them, annoyed that they seemed to be hiding something from her again.

"I hate this!" she yelled, "Will you two cut it out! It's really confusing!"

**Poor May T_T Hopefully I'll have time to write the next chapter before next week ^_^**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	12. Akachan

**So sorry I didn't update last week T_T I just did not have the time or the energy to write! My big degree deadlines are coming up so I have no idea when I'll be able to update next, sorry T_T I'll try my best to get this story to you!**

**Thank you to LovelyLily13, splitheart1120, Anon person thingy (), Majorly Obsessed Ikarishipper, pokemonpuppy23, Dani4Short, Fairo Neko, Sjir-sama, Angie188 and Anonymous for reviewing.**

**Chapter Twelve: Akachan**

Isamu slowly opened his eyes, pained as consciousness hit him like a lead weight. He didn't even try to sit up since he could already feel the tell tale signs of a massive injury on his chest. What had happened?

"You alright?"

He turned his head to look right through his wife's face.

"That can't be good," he muttered. Akiko offered him a lopsided smile as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. It didn't do anything since she wasn't really there but the gesture was appreciated. With a groan, Isamu shuffled in his bed so that he could see Akiko easier and without getting a crick in his neck. "What happened?"

"Your mother, that's what," Akiko replied.

"Oh," Isamu said, "I did warn you."

"I know," Akiko said, rolling her eyes, "but she did stop you from going completely mental and killing all of us."

"That's good," Isamu commented.

"Then again, she did almost kill both of us," Akiko added. "What makes it worse is that I am out of commission for the foreseeable future."

"That's bad news," Isamu groaned, rubbing the area around his heart. "I'm sure it will come back to bite us later too."

"Sorry," Akiko said. "I should have listened to you."

"Yup," Isamu said with a small nod. "Now you know."

Akiko smiled at her husband before she bent over him to kiss him on the cheek. He glanced up at her wondering what on earth she was doing as he felt her lips brush against his skin.

"Good night," she muttered.

"Aki," Isamu said. "I've been compromised, haven't I?"

"Something like that," Akiko chuckled. She brushed her hand against his cheek. "Just rest, for now."

"Alright," Isamu muttered. He closed his eyes, turning his head away from Akiko slightly. "Goodnight, Aki."

Akiko waited for a while until Isamu drifted off into an uneasy sleep. She was about to ask Gardevoir to stop her projection when she noticed someone at the other end of the hospital wing. Letting out a sigh and folding her arms, Akiko waited for Clair ro walk towards her.

"How is he doing?" Clair asked.

"That was risky," Akiko snapped, "Not only did you almost kill us, you could have jeopardised the whole Akari."

"The Akari did well before you came along," Clair said, brushing something off her shoulders.

"I'm not talking about me," Akiko replied. "Isa.

Akiko took an aggressive step towards Clair, a deep scowl set into her face.

"I can't imagine a mother who would try to kill her own son," Akiko spat, "then again, you were never much of a mother, where you?"

With that Akiko disappeared into nothing leaving Clair to stare blankly into thin air. Slowly she turned to look at her youngest son who was staring at her with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Hello mother," he said.

~K~

Dawn could not get comfy. The duvet was too warm, the bed was too hard and the pillows weren't doing anything for her. She wriggled onto her back then let out a loud huff, turning to glance at her husband. To her surprise he was staring at her, one eyebrow raised and a smirk playing with his lips. He seemed to be laid on his side so he could look at her.

"Trouble sleeping?" he asked.

"I can't get comfortable," she replied. "Sorry, I'm keeping you awake, aren't I?"

"It's fine," Paul said. He moved so that he was sat upright with his legs crossed. Dawn followed suit, facing him and slightly glad she was wearing PJs rather than a nightie. She stroked the cotton fabric of her star patterned bottoms. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"The end of the world," Dawn said without a pause for thought. "You know; the little things."

Paul chuckled slightly. He placed a hand on hers, stroking her soft skin gently.

"How is it you always have soft hands?" he asked.

"I guess it's the soap I use," she replied with a shrug.

"Hmm," Paul said, pulling a face to say he was impressed. Dawn shot him a look to try and get him back onto her problems but he seemed to ignore her until: "No matter what, Dawn, we'll be together. You do know that, right?"

"I know," Dawn muttered, "but it's still scary."

"Have I ever failed you before?" Paul asked.

"You let me get kidnapped by Kuro, remember?" Dawn said. Paul frowned at this, causing her to smile at him. "I know, I know. You only left me because I told you to."

"And I rescued you, didn't I?"

"Yeah… but this is different," Dawn said looking across the room. "Do you feel as though something isn't quite right, sometimes? This whole thing seems to be wrong."

"Come again?"

"I just think there's something more happening here, that's all," Dawn explained. "I don't know how to explain it, but I just… I don't know."

Paul didn't say anything to her, not even when she looked back at him. It seemed as though he was lost for words until he shuffled himself against the headboard. He gestured for Dawn to sit on his lap which she did, albeit, slowly. Paul cupped her into his chest, staring all the time across the room. She snuggled into the crook of his neck.

"Do you suppose there's something we don't know?" she asked.

"There's a lot we don't know," Paul replied. "The problem is that the only people who did know are dead and can't tell us."

"How about Liaden, couldn't we ask her?" Dawn asked, looking up at Paul's chin. She could just see his expression: thoughtful.

"Perhaps," Paul said, "but dad would have been better to talk to."

"You really miss him, don't you?" Dawn asked. Paul nodded slowly. "I miss him too."

"It's strange that I wish he was here because I want his guidance," Paul said, "but not as the leader of the clan. Kiboji will grow into his role the longer he's there."

"You really think that?" Dawn asked, smiling slightly. Paul nodded.

"He's smart, determined, quick thinking, calculating and calm," Paul listed, "everything a great Akari leader needs. He's got the perfect personality for a leader and he will be a great one if his confidence grows a little."

There was a pause.

"If you tell him I said that, I will deny it," he added. Dawn giggled, hugging Paul tightly round the waist. "Do you feel better now?"

"A little," Dawn admitted, "but still a little worried."

"It's natural to be worried," Paul said, "just don't get too worried, OK?"

"Paul," Dawn said, her tone suggesting she was moving the conversation onto something completely different. She sat up, looking him in the eye. "What if it was me?"

"What if what was you?" he asked.

"What if I was the one giving birth to the bringer of the apocalypse?" she asked. Paul gave a soft chuckle.

"I have to admit I was surprised it wasn't you being the troublesome one for a change," he said.

"Paul," Dawn whined.

"I don't know," he replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "I honestly don't. On the one hand I would be worried like crazy but on the other… I'm not sure."

"You wouldn't freak out?" Dawn asked.

"Of course I would," Paul said. Dawn looked puzzled for a few seconds until Paul grabbed her hand. "Still, my freak out would probably be dwarfed by your own."

"True," Dawn agreed. She bit her lips nervously as she thought about one other question she had been thinking about since this morning. "Do you want kids?"

"Hmm?" Paul asked, not sounding as surprised as Dawn expected him to. He merely stared at her for a second like he was waiting for her to say something else. When she didn't he shrugged. "I guess so but sometime after we've stopped the apocalypse. I've not given it that much thought really."

"Well…" Dawn paused, "I want kids."

"Fair enough," Paul said with another shrug.

"You can't just shrug it off, Paul," she told him. "I would have preferred it if you had freaked out a little."

"Unless there's a second child of the apocalypse that can also blink into existence by Immaculate Conception," Paul said, "I guess it's nothing I have to freak out about yet."

"You're such a jerk," Dawn snapped, pouting at him. Paul let out a short laugh.

"I guess the real question will be 'is the world ready for our kids'," Paul said. Dawn's pout slowly transformed into a wide smile as she realised he was right.

"I guess you're right," she giggled.

"You do realise that it's tradition for Akari Princes to have three kids, right?" Paul said. Dawn nodded quickly.

"I know," she said, "I want three kids anyway."

"Hmmm," Paul said, more to himself than Dawn. She blinked a few times, somewhat confused by his behaviour. "May's apocalyptic child won't have anything on our three."

Dawn launched herself forwards, hugging Paul tightly. He frowned slightly as he hit his head against the wooden headboard but he didn't vocalise his annoyance.

"You really OK with having kids?" Dawn asked. Paul paused for a second making Dawn pull away from him and stare up into his eyes. After a few seconds Paul let out a sigh.

"We'll talk more about it once the whole end of the world thing blows over," he said. Dawn nodded slowly. "But yes, I'm fine with having kids."

"Great," Dawn said happily, "I was thinking about names for them…"

Paul nodded idly as Dawn began to ramble on about their future children. He was surprised that she had thought so much about this, if not a little freaked out by the whole thing, but he would never let it show. He merely stroked her arm gently as she talked about their daughter, who had already been named Hoshi by Dawn, and her pretty pink kimono, a pleasant smile wiped across his face.

"I think you should take the others to the Ruins of Alph," Paul said suddenly when Dawn was half way through a sentence. She frowned at him.

"You weren't listening, were you?" she asked.

"Hoshi, little pink kimono," Paul replied. "You should take the others to the Ruins, apart from May, of course."

"Sure," Dawn said, her eyes narrowing at him.

"I'll come with you," he added quickly. She nodded, suddenly convinced.

"Why did you bring that up so suddenly?" Dawn asked, slightly suspicious of his behaviour.

"Rule one of having children, Dawn," Paul told her, "bringing them up in an apocalypse won't do them any good."

"They wouldn't be born for nine months," Dawn told him.

"I know that," he snapped back at her. "I'm not thick."

"You're too much of a jerk to be a father," Dawn told him.

"And you're far too troublesome to be a mother," Paul retorted.

"Fine then," she snapped. "You keep them out of trouble, I'll make sure they're not emotionally scarred."

"Deal," Paul said and they shook on it.

~K~

"Water?"

"Check."

"Camera?"

"Check."

"Rope?"

"Check."

"Mallet?"

"Check."

"Well you seem to have everything," May told Misty glumly. Misty shot May an apologetic sort of look but May didn't seem to care very much for apologies at the moment. She was rubbing her breasts in a pained sort of way finally letting out a growl of frustration. In three quick movements she was holding her plain t-shirt bra in her left hand, glaring at it as if she was willing it to burst into flames. "Damn you."

"You're sore?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," May sighed, "It's so annoying. I know Kiboji explained what was going on with me but it's highly inconvenient."

"You're pregnant and all you can say is its highly inconvenient?" Misty laughed. May shrugged.

"It's not so bad," May said, "Despite something the size of a melon popping out of me in a few months, I get to eat whenever I want, eat whatever I want and do nothing all day. I think it's a done deal, don't you?"

"You're not scared?" Misty asked.

"A little annoyed that these people didn't ask my permission before they dumped a baby in my uterus, but not at all scared," May replied brightly. "Personally, my hormones are so weird at the minute. If you ask me again in five minutes you'll probably get a different answer."

"That's good to know," Misty said.

"Hey, do you think if we found these people who did this to me, they'd you know… pay me for carrying their little child of doom?" May asked.

"I doubt the greatest evil in the universe will think about settling debts with a girl they knocked up for funsies," Misty replied, flashing May a smile. May's expression darkened and she hit the mattress she was sat on with her fist.

"Get them here and I'll show them what for!" she yelled angrily.

"Is everything alright?" Suzume asked as she and Dawn hurried into the room. The two new comers looked a little confused as they heard May mutter something along the lines of 'stupid, cheap skate villains'.

"Are you packed?" Dawn asked Misty. Misty nodded quickly.

"Yup," she said, "I'm ready to go."

"Yipee for you," May grumbled.

"It's alright, May," Suzume said brightly, "Kiboji says he's going to spoil you rotten today, since you can't go outside."

"Great," May said, thoroughly unconvinced by this. Suzume flashed Dawn and Misty a reassuring smile to tell them that she had everything covered.

"We'll be going then," Misty said slowly.

"Don't worry May," Dawn said. "If Kiboji says he's going to spoil you rotten then he will. And to make sure, we'll bring you something back from the ruins."

"If you bring me a rock back, I will throw it at you," May warned them.

Misty and Dawn giggled to each other uncertainly, wondering if Silver and Paul would let them take a quick detour to the gift shop.

"Have fun without me," May told them glumly. Misty and Dawn glanced at each other then waved at May with forced smiles on their faces.

"We'll try," Misty said.

"But you know it'll be hard," Dawn added. Then they left quickly, shouting their good byes to May just before the left the apartment. When they were gone, May looked up at Suzume, tears shining in her eyes.

"They left me," she stated. Suzume waved her off.

"They'll be back soon," Suzume reassured her. "You wanna make them jealous? I bet we can have three times as much fun as they will."

"Only three times? That's a bit lame," May moaned.

"True… But where they're going they won't be having jelly and ice cream like we will," Suzume said, winking. May's eyes lit up at the prospect of jelly and ice cream.

"Awesome!" she cheered.

**So there was a bit of Ikarishipping for you lovely folks ^_^ I felt like writing it today. I hope you don't mind. I'm going to continue writing through the night if I have to just to make sure I have something to update next week ^_^**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	13. Jiin

**Sorry there's been quite a gap for this but I virtually have no time to write at the minute. I've spent most of today writing this but I'm not entirely happy with they way it's bee written *sigh*. I've got two weeks left and then I should be home free so I'll be updating sometime then ^_^**

**Thanks to: pokemonpupp23, splitheart1120, LovelyLily13, xRissychanx, Majorly-Obsessed-Ikarishipper, Starfire1407, Dani4Short, Kitsune300, AwesomeWolfLover, RaveOn21turned23, BitterGlitter and Sjir-sama for reviewing and waiting patiently.**

**Quick note: **

**This chapter contain a character called Liaden. She was last seen in Akari when Dawn and Paul had a bit of a fall out in Ecruteak City. Liaden warned Dawn about Paul's upcoming problems then later in Akari, Liaden stopped Isamu and Akiko attacking the Kurai headquarters then disappeared. Just thought you may like the recap!**

**Diclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and plot.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Jiin**

Itsuki glanced up as the team of teens finally showed up. He had been waiting with Kenny for almost an hour now and was getting a little fed up. He found it slightly odd that Ursula was leading the group but it made sense when she suddenly broke into a run and launched herself at Itsuki. Itsuki was forced to move quickly so that he could catch his wife but it still wasn't enough. The two crashed into each other, falling into the wall behind Itsuki.

"Crazy dragon," Itsuki said to Ursula. She gave him a glare then rolled her eyes.

"Glad to see you too," she retorted before straightening up and greeting Kenny. Kenny had been sat on the grass but when he saw the others walking towards him, he got to his feet and brushed down his trousers.

"Hey Kenny," Ash said with a slow wave as not to dislodge Pikachu from his shoulder. After mentioning to Dawn that he wanted to get Pikachu back from Professor Oak, Kiboji had sent out one of the warriors to retrieve him so that Pikachu would be back in time for this mission. "You jumped on the early train, I see."

"Yeah," Kenny sighed, "Itsuki left me very little choice."

"Hey, you're a top class guy," Itsuki said.

"Well, it's nice to know my husband has a man crush," Ursula teased. Itsuki mumbled something under his breath and shifted uncomfortably on the spot. To make him feel more embarrassed, Ursula pulled at his cheek.

"Will you two give over?" Silver asked. "We have a job to do."

"Hmm," Dawn said suddenly. Paul and Misty glanced at her to see what was wrong. "It feels as though this has happened before."

"Yeah?" Misty said, smiling.

"I think it's just general ninja behaviour," Drew said from beside Silver. The red head glanced down at Drew, giving him a mean stare before brushing past him roughly. Drew stepped out of the way as Silver stalked towards Kenny.

"Lets go," he snapped.

"Yes, Mr Grumpy," Misty replied.

Dawn was expecting the Ruins of Alph to be something a little more… ruiny but as the large mounds of earth appeared on the horizon she quickly came to realise her imaginings of the place where far from the truth. She had visions of grand temples and thick marble columns with beautiful statues but no, all she got were caves. She almost blanched as Itsuki led them over to a cave with a fancy sort of archway for a door.

"This is where we will start," Itsuki announced, pointing boldly at the door of the cave.

"Fine, whatever," Paul remarked. He turned and headed in the opposite direction, Misty and Dawn on his heel. Silver glanced at Itsuki and did the same as Paul: walking off in a different direction but this time with the other four teens following him.

"It's a good place to start," Itsuki said, unaware he was now talking to himself. "I did my research you see… Wait, where did everyone go?"

Paul reached up to help Dawn down a shaky ladder. He grabbed her hips and helped her jump down onto the dirt floor. When she was safe on the floor, Paul reached up and helped Misty down too, this time grabbing her arms so he could help her down.

"This place is positively dank," Misty commented as she dusted off her hands.

"There should be some sort of chamber round here," Paul told her. He led them through a dim hallway that seemed to be dug out of the mountain. Dawn and Misty kept looking at each other as they walked further and further into the cave since they were a little apprehensive about what was waiting for them. Eventually Paul came to a wall with a strange language carved into a large sandstone slab. He stopped in front of it, reading the old text carefully until he suddenly straightened up.

"Any one know how to read this?" he asked, causing both of the girls to blanch.

"You don't know what it says!" Misty yelled at him. Her voice rung into an echo as she stopped talking while Paul merely stared at her with an unimpressed expression on his face.

"I read Japanese," he said, "what more do you want?"

"For you to read whatever this is," Misty replied.

"Let's look at it," Dawn suggested as she walked up to beside Paul, peering at the strange lettering. She stared at it for a while until she clicked her fingers. "I get it."

"You get what?" Paul asked.

"It looks like letters," she replied, pointing at a letter which looked like an 'E'. "It looks like it says… Earth."

"Earth?" Misty asked. "Why earth?"

"I have no idea," Dawn muttered. Paul, however, was reaching for a Pokéball on his belt. He plucked one and threw it into the air. In a flurry of light Torterra appeared behind them. He let out a mighty roar and waited for orders from Paul, his large eyes focusing on his master.

"A Torterra?" Misty asked sounding pretty impressed.

"Do you know what this means?" Paul asked, pointing at the word on the slab. Torterra read it a few times before he nodded.

"Wow, your Torterra is very smart," Misty commented. She opened her mouth to continue but Torterra began to stomp its feet until the slab fell over onto its back, revealing a long passage way to a larger chamber. Paul walked through the newly created door, pausing to return Torterra since he was too wide to fit through the passage. Dawn followed her husband with Misty being a little bit hesitant and coming last. "Where are we?"

"_Where are we? Where are we?"_

Misty looked upwards as she heard her voice echo round and round the large expanse of the great hall they were now stood in. She clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from saying anything else.

"We're here," Paul muttered just loud enough for Misty and Dawn to hear but not enough to cause an echo.

"Where is 'here'?" Misty hissed.

"This is the hall where it all began," Paul told them. "How ever long ago it was, three westerners were captured and dragged to this hall where the greatest clan of the time ruled over this land. Not much is known about them but they were the ones to teach the westerners martial arts."

"So Liaden would have been here before?" Dawn asked. Paul nodded slowly.

"Where did they all disappear to?" Misty questioned as she looked around the dusty hall. It looked like it had just been abandoned, rather like a ghost town.

"I don't know," Paul replied, "they just disappeared suddenly. I wasn't any good at History."

"You took History?" Misty laughed.

"Yeah, but like my father I never had the inclination to know what happened before," Paul replied. "I was much more preoccupied with the present to think about the past. Mum used to despair at me when she trained me because she used to say to be a great warrior you had to thing about the past, the present and the future."

"Why were you trained by your mother?" Misty asked, this time a little too loud so her voice echoed slightly.

"It's a long story," Paul replied. Misty turned to Dawn for an explanation as Paul walked away. Dawn quietly explained about Paul not knowing who his biological mother was until two years ago and how his father wanted to make sure Paul was trained by the best. To this Misty frowned even harder.

"I get that but why would your father plan things like this?" Misty asked. "It's like-"

"He saw all this coming?" Paul finished for her. He spun round on the spot to stare at the two girls. To their surprise he didn't seem annoyed about this but more like he had been thinking the same thing too. "Dad had a pendant which he used to see the future. Natsuko said he visited her once because he saw his death."

"He saw that coming too, huh?" Misty said, putting her hand on her hip as Dawn looked to the floor, trying to hide her tears. It was still a sore spot for her to listen to things about Arashi's death, not nearly as much as it was to think about her mother's.

"It wouldn't surprise me if dad has planned this all," Paul replied with a shrug. "He was always like that. He was a pain in the ass."

"Paul," Dawn scolded but Paul merely grinned. Paul reached for his neck, pulling out a large stone set onto a necklace. Grasping the stone tightly in his hand, he began to concentrate on something while the other two girls just looked at him wondering what he was doing. After a short spell, Paul dropped the stone causing it to crash into his chest.

"The others will be coming shortly," he told them. "We should probably be getting a move on."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Misty moaned as Paul walked away from her.

"Anything," he replied.

By the time the others had found the chamber, Paul, Misty and Dawn had been searching for well over half an hour. Paul was up on what looked like a stone balcony near to the ceiling of the hall, having transported himself there rather than climbing up. Dawn was walking round with Luxio by her heels and Misty was attempting to clean one patch of wall with a handkerchief.

"Wow," Ash said as he stepped into the room, "this is really cool."

"It seems a little drab to me," Drew commented, sounding rather bored.

"Hey!" Misty yelled sharply. "I've found something!"

Paul was instantly by her side, appearing in a haze of black smoke. Misty pointed at part of the wall she had been cleaning, showing Paul that there were drawings underneath the muck.

"We need to clean all of them," Paul muttered.

"How can we do that?" Misty asked. Paul turned around to look at Dawn and Ash who were stood next to each other, staring at Paul intently.

"Dawn, do you have Piplup?" Paul asked.

"Sure," Dawn replied, tapping her belt where three Pokéballs hung. She chose the second one and released her small blue Pokémon onto the floor.

"Oh I see," Misty said, jumping out of the way so that Piplup had a clear shot of the wall. Paul walked out of the way too, pointing to one section of the wall for Piplup's benefit.

"There," he said, "Clean it with Waterpool or whatever."

"Lup," Piplup said with a nod, not even bothering to argue with the teen. He seemed quite happy to take orders from Paul considering Paul had saved Dawn so many times. Holding up his stubby flippers upwards, Piplup started his attack, chanting: "Piiiiiip luuuuuup" as he did so.

A large vortex of water crashed into the wall causing a loud crash to resonate around the hall. Instantly Paul's ears and attention was peaked as were Silver's, Dawn's and Itsuki's. Something did sound right there. Dawn was about to question this when Paul looked away from her. He jerked his head in one direction to signal to Silver and Itsuki to go and investigate. They nodded and sauntered off casually. Only Ursula and Drew noticed that the two had dispatched but after a second or two, Drew went to join them.

"Dr-" Dawn tried to called the green head back but Paul stopped her with a sigh and shake of the head.

"Let the grasshead prince do whatever he likes," Paul muttered.

"Heard that!" Drew yelled from the other end of the hall. Paul smirked to himself then walked forwards to inspect the wall. It needed another attack, something like hydro pump would do the trick-

"Piplup, Hydro-Pump," Dawn said to her Pokémon. Piplup nodded and smirked. Before Paul could react or move out of the way, Piplup shot a powerful Hydro-Pump at the wall. Paul, somehow, managed to jump out of the way and was only lightly sprayed by the cold water. He turned to Dawn who was giggling nervously.

"Sorry, I thought you said-"

"I thought it," Paul told her. "We need to get a handle on this."

"On what?" Kenny asked.

"Whatever link we have in our heads," Paul snapped. "It's highly annoying."

"Get a room you two," Ursula said causing Misty to laugh loudly. Paul looked around again as the echo of Misty's laugh bounced from wall to wall. Dawn merely sighed, pointing to the wall that Piplup had now cleaned.

"It's done," she stated.

"What does it say?" Ash asked Paul. Paul stepped closer to it as did Ursula since she seemed interested.

"Its pictures," she said. Sure enough on the large stone slab there were old drawings of some sort. They had been painted a long time ago with elegant brushes and strokes of ink. "This is unbelievable. They're just like new."

"They look old," Ash commented as he stepped closer to another section of the wall that had been cleared. "But not too old."

"Since when are you an expert?" Misty asked him as she put her hand on the damp wall. Ash didn't bother to reply. He merely stuck his tongue out at her. "I thought Drew would comment on the painting, you know."

"Yeah," Ash said. It seemed to occur to the both of them that their green haired friend had disappeared. They looked around for him but he had disappeared completely. Ash turned his head to ask Paul but Paul shook his head to silence him.

"So what does this mean?" Kenny asked, pointing to a bit at the top of the slab. In the top most corner there was a picture of a tree, then a series of pictures involving people followed.

"I'm lousy at History," Paul reminded Ursula who frowned at him.

"And I'm any good?" she snapped in reply.

"Let's see if we can work it out," Dawn said as a way of compromising. She pointed to the top of the slab. "What does the tree stand for?"

"There used to be a big tree here?" Ash suggested. Misty snorted into her hand at Ash's shear dumbness.

"In Chinese writing, trees like that used to be at the beginning of a story," Paul replied, ignoring Ash's comment. "From looking at it at face value, I think it tells a story about a battle. A lot of old things like this used to be done about wars and battles, rather like the Churitsu headquarters. This probably tells of one of the early wars."

"Between?" Kenny asked. Paul shrugged.

"Maybe the Kurai and Akari, I'm not sure," he said.

"It's the first shadow war."

Paul's hand flew to his belt where three thin blades where housed. As he spun round to see who was talking to him, he threw one of them to the person in question. To his surprise the man talking to them caught the blade with his thumb and forefinger and threw it over his shoulder.

"Now, is that any way to greet family?" he asked. Paul stood up straight at the word family wondering who one earth this person was. He couldn't place who this man looked like but he looked familiar. He had long white hair which was tied up into a top bun and had the rest flowing to his waist. A thin white beard hung from his bottom lip, which was pulled into a smirk. His eyes were ice cold and black.

"Er… Paul?" Ash asked.

"Friend or foe?" Misty asked, turning to Paul. However it was Ursula who replied:

"Foe! Foe! Definitely foe!" she squeaked.

"Who is it?" Kenny hissed.

"I forget how young you are, Paul," Ursula said to the purple haired teen. Paul glanced at her wondering why she had given up on Shinji but her hard, fearful gaze soon made him realise that this man was not to be messed with. He was dangerous. "Paul, he's the leader of the Akari before Arashi. He's Ichiro."

There was a buzz of silence as Paul raised an eyebrow at Ursula, half wondering what she was going on about.

"He's dead," Ash said suddenly. "Clair said he was dead."

"No kidding," Misty said. "He looks pretty alive to me."

"I assure you all, I am alive," the man said in a cruel tone that made Paul shudder.

"I've heard that tone before," Paul said. "Dad used to talk like that when he was annoyed or angry."

"Arashi? My eldest? Yes, he was always a good learner," the man said, "Are you like him too, Shinji? Don't tell me you're going to go running to your mother, telling her you've seen me."

"You scared of her or something?" Paul asked.

"Paul," Ursula hissed. Ichiro smiled showing the teens his perfectly white teeth. In an instant he had disappeared into black fog and reappeared next to Dawn. She let out a shriek before they both disappeared into fog and appeared in front of Paul. Ichiro had one hand around Dawn's neck, his other holding her arms behind her back. She attempted to squirm out of his grasp but stopped when his grip tightened on her throat.

"Tell me, are you as soft as your mother?" Ichiro asked Paul. "Do you care so much about your… spouse that is messes with all your reason and thoughts?"

"Let go of her," Paul snarled, feeling his top lip curl. Ichiro tightened his grasp once again, shutting off Dawn's air passage. Paul bared his teeth at Ichiro and growled. "If you don't let go of her, I'll-"

"Do what?" Ichiro asked. The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Paul disappeared into smoke. Ichiro did the same, taking Dawn with him. Ichiro reappeared a few seconds later, holding Dawn close to his body, his hand still tight around her neck. He was smiling as he felt her go limper and limper in his arms.

A flash of confusion washed over his face as he wondered where Paul had gone. There was a pause then Itsuki jumped from no where, slicing at Ichiro's hand. Dawn fell from Ichiro's grasp and forwards into Paul's arms as he appeared to catch her. Itsuki jumped out of the way while Paul transported Dawn across the room to Ash and Misty.

"Clever," Ichiro commented as he raised his bleeding hand to his mouth and licked the blood away. "Using one of your warriors as a dud? That's very Arashi. Alas, are you so like Arashi?"

Ichiro raised his hand at Itsuki. It happened so fast that Itsuki didn't have the chance to move out of the way. A small black burst of energy shot towards him, hitting him in the chest and sending him back onto the floor. Ursula screamed out loud. Misty attempted to grab her as she ran to Itsuki, but Ursula did not care about Ichiro or anything else. She only wanted to help her husband.

"Istu? Itsu?" she cried as she fell to her knees beside him. She checked him over, eventually getting his head onto her knees. There was a pause before Ursula threw herself over Itsuki's body and began weeping uncontrollably.

"That's your fault," Ichiro told Paul. "You're the reason that brave warrior just died. How does that make you feel, Shinji?"

"Actually, I would say it's your fault," Silver's voice stated as he landed on the floor close to Ichiro. The red-head didn't make a move to attack Ichiro or anything. "If it weren't for you, Itsuki would be alive. You had no reason to kill him. Besides, Itsuki's life was indebted to the Akari. He would have been glad to die to them, like I would be glad to die for my clan."

"You're from the Dark Clan, aren't you?" Ichiro asked. "Funny, I thought you were on the Kurai's side."

"My allegiance is for me to decide," Silver replied. Ichiro nodded, then quickly shot an aura attack at Silver. Silver moved fast enough to block it with his sword. He went crashing into the wall and slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"He's too powerful," Paul muttered to Dawn. "We need back up."

"Where from? Ismau's in hospital, Akiko's comatose," Dawn hissed in reply. "We're stuck."

"Get out of here," Paul told her. "Take the others and run."

"No way. I'm not leaving you," Dawn said.

"Just go," Paul told her.

"No!" she yelled. Everyone turned to look at them, even Ursula looked up, her eyes heavy with tears still. "I am not leaving you."

"How very touching," Ichiro said. "Shinji, I'll make you a deal. If you come with me and join me I will spare your darling little wife there."

"Go to hell," Dawn snapped angrily before she turned her anger back onto Paul who seemed a little surprised by her retort. "I'm with you always."

Slowly he nodded and grasped her hand tightly in his. He knew this would be tricky but there was very little they could do at the minute. They had to try to get Ichiro away from this place so the others could escape but they could get seriously hurt in the process.

"Fine," Paul said finally. He made them disappear.

"I like how you think that is a good technique, Shinji," Ichiro taunted them loudly. "To disappear into the other world and attack."

Sure enough there was a flurry of smoke but instead of Paul being there, Dawn had a large aura attack in her hand. The second she touched the floor she released it. It knocked Ichiro backwards and caused him to keel over with blood spurting from his mouth. Paul appeared a second later, landing a strong kick into Ichiro's shoulder.

Ichiro managed to recover himself and was soon stood up straight with his hands poised for an aura attack.

"Look out!" Dawn heard Misty yelled as a ball of black energy formed in Ichiro's hand. Misty's echo was cut short by a sharp shooting noise. The energy ball in Ichiro's hand exploded, sending him flying into the wall.

With a sense of gratefulness, Dawn turned to look up at the person who had saved her. Drew was stood on one of the over hanging balconies with a mechanical bow in his hand. He coolly reached behind his back and pulled two metallic arrows from a quiver that was hidden from Dawn's view.

"Well, this is a fine mess you've got me into, Akari," Drew said to Paul. "Glad I can be of assistance at least."

He raised his bow, slid an arrow into it and pulled back on the string. Ichiro was just getting to his feet when Drew released his second arrow. It shot threw the air, shooting past Dawn and Paul and lodged itself in Ichiro's chest, right over his heart. Once again the man fell backwards onto the floor and did not get up.

"That was amazing," Ash cheered as Drew jumped off the balcony. He did a summersault and landed softly on his feet not far from Dawn. He walked towards her, smirking across at Paul.

"Thanks," Paul said before Drew could say anything. "That was really helpful."

"Not a problem," Drew said. "I'm just thankful Kiboji managed to scrape these together for me before we left."

He held up his fairly modern looking bow and the remaining arrow he had left in his hand.

"It's fairly different from what I'm used to," Drew told her, "but so much easier to use than my traditional bows."

Dawn was about to say something when she felt Paul's hands push her into Drew. Drew scrambled to catch her, in the process dropping his bow, and collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Dawn blinked as she fell on top of Drew, steadying herself so she didn't roll over her head. She felt, what seemed like, a hot breeze tickle her back then pain exploded in her torso.

Drew was sat up in a matter of seconds, pulling Dawn up with him. He looked up to see Paul stood oddly with his hands out. He was ever so slightly crouched over.

"Get her out of here," he snapped at Drew. Drew hastily dragged Dawn towards Ash and Kenny who helped her onto her feet. Her legs failed her and she crumpled to the floor, her side gushing with blood.

"He didn't touch her," Kenny said to Drew. Drew looked puzzled for a brief second then he looked over at Paul. Paul's side was bleeding more than Dawn's was. Obviously he had been hit with an attack and the damage was so bad Dawn had been affected by it. Had Paul realised just how hurt he was? Probably not.

Ichiro was back on his feet, his hands buzzing with several small aura attacks.

"Paul! Get out or you're going to kill both of you!" Drew yelled. Paul steadied himself for the attacks. What else could he do otherwise? They had attempted to kill Ichiro but he just kept getting up. Paul glanced at Dawn who seemed to be unconscious in the arms of Ash and Kenny with Drew stood in front of them. Misty had moved from Ash's side and was now crouched next to the still weeping Ursula and Itsuki's body. Silver was still out cold on the other side of the hall.

"Join me," Ichiro said when Paul finally looked back at him. "Join me and win."

"Never," Paul replied. Ichiro's face hardened and he shot Paul with the aura attacks he had in his hands.

Paul fell into Ash as he lost control of his vision. His disappearing act was failing him because he was becoming too woozy with the loss of blood. He sat down on the floor oddly feeling something rather horrible twisting in his body.

"Crap," he spat, clutching at his heart.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked.

"You need to get out of here before I… I'm loosing control," Paul said, clenching his jaw to hold onto the control of his body. He punched the floor hard, closing his eyes tightly. "Go!"

Then the feeling stopped when he felt a hand touch his fist. Paul opened his eyes to stare into Dawn's. The pressure died down and his body began to relax slightly.

"That's odd," Ichiro said, "I was sure he was going to slip into the Heiwana Kokoro."

"The what?" Kenny asked.

"The peaceful mind," Drew replied through gritted teeth. "It's the top level of Churitsu defence. If he had gone into it, he could've killed us all."

"I would have liked to see that," Ichiro said.

"I thought you might. It's a shame you will never live to see that, isn't it?"

Ichiro turned around lazily. Perhaps it was because he was expecting Akiko to be stood behind him that he didn't seem bothered who it was but when he looked into the angry eyes of a much older woman, he took a step backwards.

"Ichiro, I have no idea how you are here," she said, "but I recommend you leave right now."

"Well, well," Ichiro said. "You do exist. Liaden Churitsu."

Liaden nodded slightly but not too much. She glanced over at Paul and the other teens around him before she raised her hand. In an instant Paul fell out of consciousness, his head falling into Dawn's outstretched hand. She looked up and around until she saw Liaden.

"She's here," she muttered.

"Is she friend or foe?" Kenny whispered to Drew. Drew gulped in reply then knelt down, putting his hands onto the floor.

"Friend, as long as we do as she says," Drew replied.

Liaden began to walk around Ichiro, ignoring the twisted smile that was present on his face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Fishing," Ichiro replied, "for a once proud Churitsu. Since she hasn't shown up, you'll have to do."

"Are you so stupid to fight me?" Liaden asked. Ichiro didn't bother to reply. He leapt forwards with an aura attack. Liaden blocked it with one of her own. She disappeared into smoke; Ichiro followed. There were a few bright flashes of light that appeared out of no where but neither Liaden nor Ichiro reappeared for quite a while. During this silence Silver came too. He shook his head and slowly climbed up the wall until he was stood up once again. He limped over to the others, cautious of the fact they seemed to be watching something.

"What happened?" he asked as he knelt down next to Drew. He eyed the unconscious Paul lying with his head resting on Dawn's lap, her side bleeding like his was. "What are we waiting for?"

"Liaden," Drew replied. Silver raised an eyebrow then nodded once, showing he somewhat understood what was going on.

"She came to save us?" Silver asked.

"I hope so," Ash replied. "Since Paul is out cold."

Dawn leant forwards as Liaden finally materialised out of thin air. She stumbled and whipped round, unfortunately not fast enough because Ichiro caught her, ramming his hand into her chest. She gave him a withering look before she smiled. If it had been any other warrior, Dawn thought, this might have put them off but not Ichiro. Ichiro was too blind with power to develop a conscience or emotions half way through a fight like this. Dawn wondered, briefly, when the last time Liaden had fought an enemy as strong as Ichiro. But her thoughts were answered as Ichiro conjured another aura attack, right through Liaden's heart.

She stepped backwards calmly then turned to look at Dawn, a smile on her face.

"It's alright," she said. Then, dramatically, she collapsed onto the floor, dead before she hit the stone.

There was a roar of anger but it wasn't any of the teens. They all seemed too shocked to react so quickly. Instead it was another person, a Churitsu who appeared at a run from smoke. Drew got to his feet as soon as he realised the warrior was Huyuko.

"Murderer!" Huyuko yelled as he ran towards Ichiro. Ichiro caught Huyuko easily by the throat and lifted him from the ground slightly. Huyuko fought against the grasp, reaching up and squeezing Ichiro's wrist tightly.

"I wanted two Churitsu and I get two," Ichiro mused before he threw Huyuko down onto the floor. "How long until your dear sister gets here? I really want to settle a score with her."

"What did you do to Natsuko?" Huyuko hissed from his place on the floor. "All she does is babble like a mad woman."

"I did nothing to her," Ichiro replied, "but my master… he may have made her see the truth."

Ichiro's attention slipped from Huyuko as he heard a commotion behind him. Someone had landed rather heavily on the floor beside Liaden. To no one's surprise it was Akiko knelt beside her grandmother, stroking her face gently.

"Gran?" she whispered.

"And here we have her," Ichiro said. Akiko turned wide eyes onto Ichiro, neither shock nor horror registering in them. She seemed too distraught over her grandmother's body to see who it was who was talking to her. Perhaps her brain just wasn't accepting what her eyes saw. "It's time I got this thorn out of my side for good."

Before Ichiro could take another step there was a plume of fog and Isamu appeared. His face automatically set into a scowl as he saw his father stood there.

"You," he hissed. "You're dead."

"Isamu," Ichiro replied. Isamu didn't wait for another word to be said. He unsheathed the sword in his belt and attacked Ichiro. Ichiro barely managed to disappear into fog when Isamu brought his sword down onto his shoulder.

"You will do as I say," Ichiro roared as he appeared again. "The shadows have already taken over your heart and mind. You do as I say."

"Never," Isamu growled. "Never. I will never listen to you, ever again!"

He launched his sword at Ichiro. It lodged itself in his hip causing him to roar again but this time in pain. He disappeared again and didn't return. Isamu seemed to snap back to his senses and looked around, his eyes finally settling on Akiko who was stroking her grandmother's cheek.

"She's dead," was all she said.

**OK, that's just as bad as I thought it would be. Just a quick note before I go, Kitsune300 is having a competition on DeviantArt so if you're on there, check out her page for details!**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing and I should be back in a week or two.**

**RSx**


	14. Jokyoku

**Yes, so I am back! *waves flag of triumph* I'm sorry I haven't been around a lot over the past few weeks but I really have been that busy. As one of my course mates put it, we didn't even have time to go to the toilet! But now I have risen to the ranks of the unemployed for the time being so I have plenty of time to write/draw/mooch so I should be getting more done.**

**Any who, since the last chapter was all action, action, action this one is a build up to the finale. It could be a rather long stretch to the end of Kage but there should be at least (I hope) five chapters left. Yeah… You'll hate me for it too.**

**Disclaimer: I own only my plot and OCs.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Jokyoku (Overture)**

Kiboji was waiting for them when they stepped through the portal a few hours later. His expression grim like his stance, his arms crossed over his chest. He honestly didn't know who to greet first. Paul was still out cold and Dawn had lapsed into unconsciousness shortly after Ichiro had left. The pair was being carried on stretchers by some other warriors Kiboji had sent out to help. Itsuki was also on a stretcher but he had a blanket covering up his face. Ursula hung around his left side, grasping his hand tightly like she didn't want to let go. Akiko was being carried by Isamu and to everyone's surprise she was silent.

The others filtered along after Isamu, stopping to crowd around Kiboji while Isamu led the wounded to the hospital. Kiboji slowly turned to Silver, nodding his head.

"Are you alright?" he asked slowly.

"We've been better," Drew replied on behalf of his friends.

"I agree," Silver said with a nod.

"What happened? All I got was a rushed SOS," Kiboji pressed them for details but he was met by five grim faces and silence. When no one replied, Kiboji let out a sigh. "Let's talk somewhere private, shall we? Somewhere with alcohol."

"What are you going to do about Ursula?" Misty asked as Kiboji turned his back to them. He paused then continued to walk as if he hadn't heard the question at all.

Akiko seemed to be in a state of numbness. She was sat hugging her knees tightly, resting her chin on the top of them as she watched people busy around her son and his wife. Nothing seemed to register with her, it was like she had completely shut down.

"He knew this was going to happen," she said suddenly causing Isamu and Reggie, who had been stood by the side of her bed out of the way, to look at her. "Damned moron."

"Who is she talking about?" Reggie asked Isamu as Akiko buried her head into her knees.

"Your father," Isamu replied, "and your grandfather."

"What happened up there?" Reggie asked, now sounding quite concerned. When Isamu remained silent Reggie squared up to him. "Look, my kid brother almost got killed. Tell me why!"

"They wanted to bait out Akiko but she was too weak to reply," Isamu stated. "So they got her grandmother instead."

"It's my fault," Akiko mumbled, "I should have gone."

"Then all of them would be dead," Isamu snapped. Akiko remained silent biting her lip before burying her forehead into her knees.

"I'm not staying here," she mumbled through the fabric. "I want to sleep in my own bed."

"Fine," Isamu replied. This time his voice sounded softer than before. He gently reached out and stroked his wife's hair with the back of his hand. Finally he turned back to Reggie who was still waiting for an explanation. "We know who is partly behind it, at least."

"Who?" Reggie asked.

"My father," Isamu said. He said this in a low whisper to stop any of the hospital staff from overhearing.

"But he's dead," Reggie muttered sharply, eying the nearest nurse warily.

"Apparently not," Isamu said. "I think I need a word with my mother."

"If anyone should know if he was really dead, it would be her," Akiko's voice came from her knees. "She was the last one to see him alive."

Reggie looked sceptical and worried all at the same time. He shifted the weight from one foot to the other, folding his arms over his chest as he went deep into thought. Isamu fell silent too for a short spell until Akiko raised her head from her knees. Her eyes bored in her husbands causing him to feel a little uncomfortable.

"You're taking this very well," she stated.

"What?" he asked.

"Your father rising from the grave," she said.

"Oh, that," Isamu replied as if it was nothing. "I'm not too concerned. This time I can make sure I'm the one to kill that heartless man myself."

"I'm glad you're on our side," Reggie commented. He suddenly seemed to freeze as he caught what he just said. Isamu too seemed to pick up on this and stared worriedly at his nephew.

"I think you'll be alright now," Akiko said softly. "The last person on the planet who you would take orders from is your dear old dad."

A dark grin appeared on Isamu's face. He nodded once then turned to stare at Paul laid on one of the hospital beds not too far away. He knew perfectly well that the scales had shifted since he saw Ichiro in the ruins in both good and bad ways. If Ichiro had risen from the dead then there was no limit to the amount of people who could have been revived and brainwashed for the mounting army of Shadow Warriors. Good warriors, bad warriors, old friends… brothers even. Isamu bit his lip at this thought. He had lost a few family members who could easily be used against them now including both Arashi and Etsuo.

"They're better than that," Akiko said suddenly in a low whisper. Isamu glanced at her and slowly nodded. Obviously they had just reached the same conclusion.

Kiboji was thinking when Reggie came to report on Paul and Dawn's status in the hospital. Usually seeing Kiboji sat thinking in his throne chair would have caused Reggie to remark on the dangerous situation but all humour seemed lost at the minute.

"They're stable," Reggie told Kiboji and the small crowd of teens who surrounded him.

"Good," Kiboji muttered. "Two less coffins to order."

"Akiko and Isamu are keeping an eye on them," Reggie continued as if Kiboji hadn't spoken. He walked over to his chair on Kiboji's right and sat down on the hard marble. In front of him sat Misty and May. Misty was playing with May's fringe, twisting it and trying out different styles with it. Ash and Kenny were sat either side of the girls just looking at the floor. Pikachu was on Ash's lap receiving a slow rhythm of strokes from the black haired teen. Drew was the only one of them stood up. He was pacing around the room, hands in his pockets. Suddenly he twirled round and punched the nearest wall. The noise of the impact echoed around the hall causing everyone to turn to look at the green haired boy.

"Something amiss?" Kiboji asked.

"Just annoyed," Drew replied as he pulled his hand back from the wall and rubbed it. The knuckles were red and one had split. Yet Drew didn't seem to care about the pain because the whole thing had gotten rid of his anger rather swiftly. "Sorry."

"Not at all," Kiboji said. "I think I could go for a workout right now. A run might do me good. Although… If I run I may never come back."

"We need you," Reggie said. "Especially if Ichiro is back."

"I thought he was your grandfather," May said. She was picking at her socks so she didn't see the look of disgust wash across the Akari brothers' faces.

"He is biologically," Reggie admitted, "but that's all."

"I see," May said but it was clear she didn't see the full picture.

"What will happen to Ursula?" Misty asked, glancing at Kiboji. He froze on the spot. He hadn't thought about Ursula at all since he sat down in his chair. It was true that the pair were rather good friends but since Itsuki had died then she was no longer part of the Akari Clan. Perhaps she would go back home to her people. Kiboji made a mental note to write a message to his mother about everything.

"She'll go home," Kiboji said. "If she wants to. If not, then she can stay here for as long as she wants because she is my friend. I've known her a long time, I can't really just push her away, can I?"

"Isn't she our cousin or something?" Reggie asked.

"Probably," Kiboji replied.

"I don't get it," Ash said. "Why would Ichiro want to kill Itsuki? He had no reason to."

"It's my father, he's sort of mad like that."

Isamu strolled into the room holding his arm oddly in his opposite hand. He approached the chairs and stopped, pausing to look down at May. May stared back at him, blinking a few times as she slowly shuffled closer into Misty's body. After what seemed an age, Isamu grinned and offered May a wink. She blushed and quickly looked away.

"Kibo," Isamu said, "Aki and I will be in our room if you need us. Apparently she's 'fed up of that rotten hospital ward' and 'doesn't care if her only child is laying lifeless a few beds away' so I moved her."

"Fair enough," Kiboji replied with a shrug. Isamu moved to walk back out of the room but stopped.

"Oh," he said, "by the way I am no longer being controlled by the bad guys."

"Good to know," Kiboji said, his face lighting up since this was the first good news he had heard all day. Isamu nodded. "Can I ask why?"

"Ah, daddy issues and all that," Isamu replied off handedly. Then he turned and walked out of the room leaving the storm cloud of doom to settle on the teens who remained behind. Drew punched the wall again.

"Dude, please don't put holes in my walls," Kiboji snapped.

"Like I could," Drew retorted. "I'm from the Emerald Clan."

"Point taken," Kiboji mumbled much to the amusement of Reggie beside him.

~K~

Bright light attacked his eyes when he woke in the morning. Paul shot up out of bed, wobbling slightly as he checked the area for enemies then tumbled onto the floor, grasping out wildly for something to keep him up. The sheets from the bed slipped through his fingers and he landed roughly on his behind, still no wiser about his current whereabouts than when he was on the bed.

"Dawn?" he hissed but there was no answer just the dull throb of pain in his side. His right hand flew to his side, cupping it gently. "Where am I?"

"Oi! You should be in bed!"

Paul lent his head against the mental bed frame he was sat next to. So he was home or so it seemed if his brother was yelling at him. Kiboji's torso came into view a few seconds later but Paul didn't have the energy to look up into his face. He didn't have to for Kiboji sunk to his knees and clasped a hand on Paul's shoulder.

"You alright?" Kiboji asked.

"Dawn? Where is she?" Paul demanded. Kiboji looked over the bed and nodded his head.

"On the bed over there," Kiboji replied. He shifted his hand so it was now under Paul's armpit. Rather quickly, Paul found himself hauled back onto the bed in a seating position. He turned to look at Dawn, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw she was uninjured.

"I'm glad she's safe," he muttered. Kiboji frowned at him then, for no reason at all, clipped him round the head. Paul jumped, rolled backwards unintentionally and fell off the bed on the other side. The crash made Dawn shoot up out of bed and tumble from her sheets onto the floor, right on top of Paul.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's fine," Paul replied in a low growl, "really."

Dawn pushed herself off of Paul and sat on her knees on the cold tiled floor as Paul sat up and leant against the bed. He rubbed the back of his neck, a thin grimace appearing on his lips.

"What happened?" Dawn asked.

"Good question," Paul muttered. He looked up just to see his brother's head appear over the edge of the bed.

"Erm… sorry?" he said. "You guys need help?"

"No," Paul replied testily. "Seeing as the floor loves me so much, I'm just going to stay here."

"Fair enough," Kiboji said, jumping onto the bed and lying down in a relaxed sort of way. He smiled down at Dawn who merely smiled back. "I'm glad you're awake. I was really worried."

"It looks it," Paul commented quietly.

"What happened?" Dawn asked. "What happened to Liaden? Is she alright? Did you manage to save her?"

"She's dead," Kiboji replied slowly. "There was nothing anyone could do for her. Not even Akiko."

Tears prickled in Dawn's eyes. She launched herself forwards into Paul's chest, throwing her arms round his neck as she began to cry silently into his body. Paul hardly reacted to Dawn flinging herself onto him. He moved his arms round her to support her then looked up at Kiboji with a confused expression on his face.

"Liaden's dead?" he asked. Kiboji nodded.

"Ichiro killed her," Kiboji replied. "Akiko's locked herself in her room and won't come out. Isamu and Suzume are trying to bait her out but it's not happening. On the good side, Isamu is back with us since he saw Ichiro in the ruins."

"That's good," Paul muttered. He stroked Dawn's hair gently, glancing down at her. "I wonder why she came to help us. Then again, I did get my ass handed back to me by Ichiro."

"She said 'it's alright' before she died," Dawn muttered. "I think she wanted to die."

Dawn sat up, brushing tears from her eyes while Paul and Kiboji watched her.

"It must be lonely being alive for so long," Dawn went on, "but her family would never forgive her if she ended her own life."

"So she went against Ichiro and died to do what, exactly?" Kiboji asked.

"If she's dead then the Churitsu will be with us," Paul replied. "She wants the Churitsu to fight with us."

Paul turned his head slightly as he heard the sound of footsteps somewhere down the ward. Kiboji sat up greeting who ever it was with a small smile.

"She wants us to fight together: the Akari; the Kurai; and the Churitisu." It was Akiko. As she stepped into Paul's line of vision he blinked a few times. Akiko's hair looked as though it had been given a good scrub with something rough. The colour seemed lighter somehow with blonde roots and tips showing through the dark black colour.

"What did you do to your hair?" Paul asked. Akiko twirled her fringe between two fingers then smiled.

"Oh, I just decided I wanted to go lighter, that's all," she replied. "It's time for a change."

"Typical," Kiboji muttered. "Something bad happens and the first thing the woman does is change her hairstyle."

Akiko didn't retort. She cupped his ankle and, with a quick flick of her wrist, tipped him off of the bed. Kiboji let out a strangled cry as he landed face first onto the floor. Akiko ignored him, turning to Paul and Dawn.

"I'm glad you two are alright," she said. "Now, get up. We have work to do."

"Work?" Kiboji asked as he heaved his arms onto the bed.

"It's time to regroup with the rest of the Clans," Akiko said. "Drew's already gone to the Emeralds. I've sent Suzume to the Kasai Clan, Silver to the Dark Clan, Isamu's gone to see Sayuri while Ibuki will be getting the Ryu Clan. I've got Tatsu waiting with the Kurai and Toma with all the Churitsu who will listen. From there the word should spread."

"You've been busy," Kiboji mumbled under his breath. Akiko grinned and let out a laugh.

"Oh, it's not my fault," she said. "Ash was the one who suggested it."

"Ash?" Dawn asked.

"Well, not in so much detail," Akiko admitted. "But he did point out that if we worked together we would be stronger."

"Trust Ketchum," Paul mused as he got to his feet slowly. He grimaced as he stood up, holding onto the bed for support. "Let's go then. It seems a little bad to miss out on this."

"Help me up," Dawn asked, reaching up for Paul to help her. He smirked at her before he took her hand and made them disappear into smoke. Kiboji smiled fondly at Akiko as she rolled her eyes.

"Everyone's in this together now, are they?" he asked.

"It appears so," Akiko replied with a nod.

"And who will lead the Churitsu who follow us?" Kiboji asked.

"My brother will," Akiko said turning to look away from her nephew's face. "But I do warn you, my father will not help us."

"Is he one of them?" Kiboji pressed. The question hung in the air for a second or two until Akiko nodded once.

"Probably," she muttered. "But we will have to wait, I think, to know for sure."

Kiboji only nodded as the sudden realisation hit him: the war had just begun.

**So it's all leading up to something big. Next time on Kage: The meeting of the Clans. The war has officially begun so expect lots of action from this point onwards ^_^**

**Until next week.**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	15. Issho

**OK, so it's technically Saturday here but who cares? **

**So yeah, into the final stretch of this story. If you read my blog you probably would have seen that I am doing another story after this ^_^ So yeah…**

**Thanks to: Iloveikari, Kitsune300, LovelyLily13, mednin, Dani4Short, Some1's Lost Soul, Starfire1407, horselover, splitheart1120 and Sjir-sama for reviewing.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and OCs. **

**Caution – This chapter contains a lot of OCs and is quite confusing…**

**Sayuri = Kiboji and Reggie's mother, wife to Arashi.**

**Tatsu = Akiko's nephew. Was the son of the evil Lord Kuro in Akari.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Issho (together)**

There was no escaping the fact he felt he looked an idiot. Ash looked at himself in the mirror pulling a horrified expression as soon as he saw how bad it really was. Kiboji had thrown some clothes at him earlier and told him to get dressed straight away. Now he was wearing a golden shirt under a long red tunic. At least he was still wearing trousers and nice leather boots. But what really got him was the high belt with bells hung on it. They would chime with every step he made. Then there was the hat. It felt like a rather stiff round box on his head. All of his hair had been scooped up and pushed under the hat so it looked like he had a box face. To make matters worse the hat had to be tied under his chin. Kiboji had taken great pleasure in tying the knot so tightly Ash couldn't get it undone if he tried.

At least Ash only looked half as bad as Kenny. Kenny had been forced into a set of long robes. He was wearing what looked like a dress with a long purple tunic over the top of a pinky-maroon top. The skirt, as it were, was a lovely purple colour.

"I hate these people," Kenny mumbled as he looked in a mirror. He flicked some hair from his eyes then turned to glare at Ash. "This is your fault."

"Why me?" Ash asked.

"You're the one who suggested this whole thing," Kenny moaned. "Now look at me. I look like a girl."

The boys turned to look at the door as they heard the sound of girls giggling. Sure enough Misty and May entered the room not long afterwards wearing long Japanese style dresses. Misty was wearing an aqua blue kimono with a deeper coloured obi round her hips. May was in red with a rose printed obi on her waist. Both of them looked a great deal better than the boys did in their formal dress.

"You two ready to go?" Misty asked.

"Hey, Ash," May giggled. "Who's your new girlfriend?"

They creased into laughter while Ash and Kenny went red in the face. Kenny opened and closed his mouth several times but no words came out.

"Speaking of girls, where's Drew?" Misty asked as her laughter trailed off.

"He's at home," Ash replied. "He said his clothes were there so he was going to meet us at the meeting or whatever it is."

"I love these clothes," May said suddenly. "Aren't they amazing?"

Neither of the boys commented. They glared at May who paid them no attention. Instead she was looking at Reggie as he entered the room wearing his formal clothes. Like Misty, he was dressed entirely in blue but a much lighter blue than Misty was wearing. Unlike his usual robes, his formal clothes were a shirt/tunic/trouser combo with a large belt round his waist where his sword sat. His hair had been gathered up into a bun.

"Are you four ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure," Misty replied.

"Dawn and Paul have gone on ahead with Kiboji," Reggie told them. "We'll meet Isamu and Akiko at the portal."

"Is Akiko actually well enough to come with us?" Kenny asked.

"Don't get me started," Reggie mumbled. "Crazy lady with a death wish."

As Reggie had said, Isamu and Akiko were already waiting at the portal when the five of them arrived. Akiko was leant on the closest wall playing with the hem of her grey kimono. Isamu stood next to her wearing a similar ensemble to Reggie but he was wearing grey and blue.

"We ready to go?" Isamu asked Reggie. Reggie nodded once but this went unnoticed by Isamu because he was too busy helping Akiko to her feet. She beamed at her husband for his help then stumbled on the spot.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright for this?" Reggie asked her sharply. Akiko nodded uncertainly.

"I'm just a little stiff, that's all," she said. "I'll be fine once I'm there."

Reggie mumbled something under his breath and walked over to the portal, activating it with a simple movement of his hand. He stepped to the side allowing Isamu to go first with Akiko clinging onto his arm. Reggie then rounded the others through the portal before stepping through himself.

"Erg, I think I'm going to be sick," May moaned as she stepped out of the portal. She was being held up by Ash and Misty, her legs wobbling underneath her. Reggie sighed and hurried her over to where the toilets were, ushering Misty in after her.

"This is going to be so much fun," Reggie said to the remaining two who snickered. While they were waiting for Misty and May to return, Reggie began pointing out people to Ash and Kenny. The hall they were stood in was a rather large expanse with rows and rows of chairs forming the walls. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling just above where a small stage was set up. People were milling around, taking to others. Every now and again there would be a spat of shouting as two rival clans rubbed arms with each other.

"That's a great Giovanni," Reggie told them. "He's a bit eccentric. He leads the Dark Clan who he gets to do anything he wants. He's filthy rich as well. On top side, his clan goes by the name Team Rocket. Kind of cute, right?"

"Team Rocket ar-" but Ash never got to finish his exclamation because someone had just ran over to them and given Reggie a rather tight hug.

"There you are, sweetie," the woman said. She pulled away from Reggie and turned to smile at Ash and Kenny. "I was wondering when you would show up."

"Sorry, mum," Reggie said, rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Kibo had me on baby sitting duty."

"I can see," the woman said.

"This is my mother," Reggie introduced them just as Misty and May returned from the bathroom. May still looked a little green in the cheeks but see seemed otherwise fine. "Sayuri."

"It's a pleasure meeting all of you," Sayuri said to the teens.

"Oh, you're Kiboji's mother too," Ash said, attempting to make small talk.

"Can't get anything past you, can she?" Misty muttered darkly causing May to giggle. To their surprise Sayuri laughed too.

"You're so funny," Sayuri said. She turned to Reggie. "Where is your brother?"

"Paul or Kiboji?" Kenny asked. This earned him a slap from Misty and a glare from Ash but Sayuri looked otherwise unfazed.

"Kiboji you dunce," said Akiko. All of a sudden Sayuri's demeanour seemed to change. Her smile vanished and was replaced by a cold glare. She turned to look at Akiko who was hobbling towards them, holding her chest on her left side.

"Akiko," Sayuri said coldly.

"Sayuri," Akiko replied. When Akiko came to a stop she bowed to the woman, smiling at her. "Congratulations on your marriage. I see you're looking quite well."

"What happened to you?" Sayuri asked, her tone bouncing between concern and glee. Akiko straightened up, grimacing as pain shot through her body.

"Ah, the usual," Akiko replied. "You know Ibuki."

"Quite well, yes," Sayuri said. There was an odd pause of deadly silence while the two women stared at each other. Reggie was just about to intervene when Sayuri spoke. "You know for some one I've hated for the past forty years, I have to say one thing."

Akiko blinked a few times wondering what Sayuri was going to do next. Sayuri dusted something off of her sleeve then locked eyes with Akiko.

"I really have missed you," she said.

"Yeah, I've missed you too, Sayuri," Akiko admitted. "It's been lonely having to put up with morons and children without someone to talk to."

"Hey," Reggie moaned.

May began looking around for some sign of Drew but it appeared as though he was still not here. Who she did find was Dawn. The blunette was walking arm in arm with a platinum blonde haired warrior wearing all black. Both of them were chuckling about something as they made their way over to the group.

"Hey," May said, "I thought you were married."

"I know, I know," Dawn giggled, brushing May's comment off with an eye roll. "This is Tatsu."

"Howdy," Tatsu addressed the teens. He then looked up at Akiko, his smile fading a little. "You look like hell, aunt."

"Thanks," Akiko groaned. Tatsu turned to Reggie and nodded once. Reggie returned the nod instantly then grinned at him.

"So where is Shinji?" Tatsu asked.

"He's around somewhere," Dawn sighed. "He said something about a Master Toba and hiding from him. Then I bumped into Yoko, Suzume and some strange guy from the Shinju Clan."

"Nice," Ash commented although he had no idea what Dawn was talking about.

"Paul's probably talking to Yoko," Dawn went on. She glanced around the room to see if she could see him or Yoko. She eventually found Yoko talking to someone she didn't recognise but Paul wasn't anywhere to be seen. Even after all this time, Dawn still didn't like Yoko being alone with Paul. Dawn was sure that her dislike of Yoko was cemented in what happened years ago in Ecruteak City when the two had first met.

"OW!" Tatsu yelped suddenly. He quickly untangled himself from Dawn's arm and stepped away from her, holding his ear. "Jeez."

Paul had appeared with Drew on the other side of Tatsu. Paul looked a little annoyed that Tatsu had his arm linked with Dawn's, thus why Tatsu was now rubbing his ear. Drew was laughing quite loudly at his friend's jealousy.

"Why did you do that?" Tatsu snapped.

"Do I need a reason?" Paul replied, raising one of his eye brows. Tatsu didn't say anything in reply, he merely continued to rub his ear.

"So who will be explaining everything?" Drew asked casually. "Because I refuse to take part in this little charade you've got going here."

"Charade?" Tatsu said, glancing at Drew with a frown on his face.

"Yeah," Drew replied. "This whole thing is just keeping up appearances really. How many people here actually know what is going on?"

"I know I don't," Tatsu said, raising his hand up.

"Well there's a surprise," Paul commented causing Tatsu to shoot a glare in his direction. Dawn gently pushed Paul out of the way and closed the circle of people with both the bickering Paul and Tatsu on the other side of it.

"Who's running the show, anyway?" Ash asked.

"Some of the old wise ones," Akiko replied, looking round the room. She pointed out a few sages in very flamboyant dresses darted around the room. All of them looked like they were a hundred year past their expiration date, what with wispy white beards and pale wrinkled skin.

"Them?" Kenny cried. Akiko nodded gravely before turning to look at Sayuri.

"Wanna take a bet?" she asked. Sayuri nodded quickly, a smile lighting up her face. "How long until Isamu takes over?"

"How long until Shinji and Kiboji take over," Sayuri said, waving her finger. Akiko nodded and they shook on it. When Sayuri withdrew her hand from Akiko's she looked into the centre of the room. "We should take our seats now. It looks like they're going to begin."

Akiko glanced around, nodded then disappeared into smoke. Paul grabbed Dawn's hand, moving her to one side slightly so he could see the others. His gaze rested on Sayuri a little longer than the rest.

"I'll take you to our seats," he said. With that he turned, tugging Dawn behind him.

"Shinji," Sayuri called. Slowly Paul turned to look at Sayuri finding that she was smiling at him. Within seconds Sayuri had raced forwards and pulled Paul into a strong embrace, almost causing him to fall off balance if it wasn't for Dawn pushing him upright with a bored expression on her face, like she was expecting this sort of thing. "It's good to see you again. I'm glad you're alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Paul said. He pulled away from her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You look so much better without dad."

"Aww, thank you sweetie," Sayuri said, her voice rising several pitches. "You should meet my new husband." – she turned to look at Reggie too – "All of you should. He's super nice and I know he isn't your father but you could all do with some sensible person to turn too if you need any help."

"Isn't that what we've got Isamu for?" Reggie asked.

"You're kidding right?" Paul replied, frowning. "Isamu? Sensible?"

"Good point," Reggie mumbled.

"I'll bring him over later, 'K?" Sayuri said as she began to walk away. Paul and Reggie nodded and she slipped away into the crowd.

Paul looked round the group seeing that both Misty and May looked like Skittys who had got the cream. Drew was smirking beside Tatsu, also smirking, while Kenny seemed to be in a fit of silent giggles. Ash on the other hand looked rather baffled.

"What?" Paul sapped.

"Has that happened before?" Ash asked.

"Every time I come home," Paul sighed. "Come on, let's go to our seats."

As soon as their behinds had hit the hard wooden benches of the seating, a host of six men stepped onto the small stage. Each of them looked fragile, half blind and definitely dozy. Drew was sat on the row behind the others with people he introduced as his 'nanny trainer' and one of the high generals of the Emerald Clan. Tatsu was sat a few rows away with some of the Kurai high ranks and their new leader.

"Clans from throughout the world, you have joined us today to discuss a problem so defiant and threatening it could mean the end of us all," said one of the elders in an overdramatic tone. His voice suit it though since it was gravelly.

"Oh brother," Dawn heard Isamu mutter further down the row. There was a short spell of sniggering from Kiboji, Reggie and Ash but they fell silent immediately when the elder continued to speak.

"There have been tales of warriors who are like shadows," the elder went on. "They fight fiercely without reason why. They are strong and have slaughtered many of our warriors. But who here knows of them? No one. Their existence is a puzzle to us all."

"We're wasting our time here," Isamu mumbled to Akiko, who slapped his arm to silence him.

"We can only hope that through Clan unity we will be able to defeat them," the elder concluded, bowing his head.

"Clan unity?" someone called. All heads snapped to the direction of a man who had stood up. "How can the Mizu Clan possibly work with the dogs from the Kusa Clan?"

"Who are you calling dogs?" came the heated reply from one of the representatives of the Kusa Clan. The hall descended into yelling and shouting. Isamu turned to Akiko.

"Is this our cue?" he asked. Both of them, along with a few others darted around the hall, stood up gracefully.

"SILENCE!"

The hall fell quiet. Dawn looked around spotting Sayuri, the Kurai leader, Huyuko and a few others who she didn't know on their feet. Isamu and Akiko started forwards.

"We've already lost a great deal against the Shadow Warriors," Isamu said loudly. "My brother, Etsuo, was killed by them. They are working for the most evil of men, using the bodies and souls of our dead friends and brothers against us. They have brainwashed others, bribed some and hunted the rest."

By now Isamu was in the centre of the room with Akiko by his side. The whole hall seemed to be leaning forwards to hear what he was saying, hung on his every word.

"And you can't get along for two minutes so we can stop these people from… from…" he glanced at Akiko, suddenly losing his thunder. He slowly reached out for her hand and took it. There were no words but everyone knew what he was talking about. A few of the higher ranks turned to their partners in a copycat motion of endearment.

"We have to make a stand," Huyuko took over now, striding into the centre of the hall. "They cannot win because we won't allow it. They have killed too many important people for us to lie down and roll over for them."

"If we three can come together," said the leader of the Kurai as he casually walked across to join the others, "then so can you."

Kiboji stood up sharply.

"The Akari will fight with Kurai," he said. He brushed past Dawn and the others as he hurried to take his place on the small space in the centre of the hall. The moment he did, he stretched out his hand so that the Kurai leader could take it. "For all our past grievances, I hope we are forgiven as I forgive you."

"Aye," the Kurai leader said, gripping Kiboji's hand tightly. "I forgive you and all of your clan for the past. I make it a vow to support you in battle, Kiboji of the Akari."

"And I vow to support you in battle, Hiso of the Kurai," Kiboji replied fiercly. He turned his head to Huyuko. "And you, Churitsu? Will you lead your followers with us?"

"Aye," Huyuko said, gripping both clan leaders by their shoulders. "We will fight together, victoriously, and beat the Shadows right at the centre."

"Who else will fight with us?" Kiboji asked to the stands. There was a slight pause then Drew stood up.

"The Emerald Clan fight with you," Drew said.

"As does he Dark Clan," Giovanni's voice echoed from beside Silver.

"The Kasai Clan respectfully accept this fight."

"The Shinju Clan accept."

"The Kusa Clan face this challenge."

Dawn looked around as more and more heads of clans got to their feet with their warriors not long behind them. There were a few that didn't and those were the ones who seemed to stand out the most. As the hall lulled into silence with still quite a few clans not joining in Dawn turned to Paul. He looked bored but by the way his eyes were darting around the hall, checking to make sure no one was going to harm his brother, uncle or mother.

"We need all the clans to agree to this," he said quietly. "Otherwise it's pointless."

"How can we persuade them?" Ash asked.

"Back when there were two sides, the Kurai and Akari, we used to rely on our big supporters to lead the others into agreement," Paul explained. "For us it was the Naiya Clan. When their leader spoke, all the others would follow without question."

He pointed across the hall where a group of warriors with silvery white hair were sat. Their leader looked frightfully strong and very mean.

"That's the Shirogane Clan," Paul went on. "They're the Kurai's biggest allies."

"What about the Naiya Clan?" Misty asked.

"They're all dead," Paul replied. Dawn frowned at this, turning to Paul. He glanced at her wondering what was wrong.

"The Naiya Clan were really that powerful?" she asked. Paul nodded. "And just by mentioning their name, the others would follow suit?"

"Yeah," Paul replied. "Naiya and Shirogane are the deadliest of rivals. Ever since the Naiya Clan were wiped out, Shirogane have been distant from the rest of us. It's like they're lost."

"Well, they're about to get a foot up their back side," Dawn said. She got to her feet before Paul could ask what she was up to. Once stood Dawn felt a wash of nerves flush through her body but she pushed them down into the pit of her stomach. Some of the nearby clans were looking at her oddly like they were expecting her to say something or were wondering why she had stood up. "Th-the Naiya Clan will fight with you."

Paul smirked and slowly got to his feet, lacing his fingers between Dawn's trembling ones. Ash jumped out of his seat with Misty and Kenny not long after him. They didn't look like much of a clan of warriors but nobody seemed to care. Dawn became awfully aware that the leader of the Shirogane Clan was staring at her. Other clans who sided with the Akari were standing up and barking their support but Dawn barely registered it since she was staring right at the Shirogane's leader. His eyes were cold, icy blue in colour. They stared right through her into her soul and causing her shiver.

He was going to kill her, she was sure of it. He knew she wasn't a proper Naiya since her parents hadn't been married when they had her so he would kill her for claiming to be something she wasn't. Her heart nearly stopped beating when he suddenly got to his feet. The entire fell silent, everyone waiting to hear what the Shirogane Clan were going to say.

"The Shirogane are with you," he said with a cold booming voice. Dawn could barely believe her ears as he said this. Within seconds the remaining clans were up on their feet, bidding their loyalty to the battle. The Shirogane leader glanced over at Dawn one last time before a smirk settled onto his lips.

"That's not good, is it?" she asked Paul nervously.

"Actually," Paul replied, "I think you've impressed him."

"Uh?" Dawn spluttered. Paul grinned at her.

"So far we've learnt they are being lead by Ichiro, the old lord of the Akari," Isamu said loudly from the centre of the room. "We thought he was dead but somehow the Shadow Warriors have brought him back to fight us. We don't know if there are others but first we take down Ichiro then we'll take on the rest of them. Together."

There was a huge cry from the setting areas as all the warriors and leaders roared with triumph.

The doors of the great hall were suddenly flung open and a warrior wearing green clothes stumbled into the room. The hall fell silent almost immediately as the warrior staggered across the room. Paul was gone from Dawn's side as quickly as he could manage, reappearing at the warrior's side to steady him.

"Kuichi," Drew cursed from behind Dawn. Drew raced towards the warrior and Paul, looking quite alarmed. "What's going on?"

"M-master Shu," Kuichi moaned, clinging onto Paul for dear life. "I came as quickly as I could."

"What's wrong?" Drew demanded. Paul was checking the man over for injuries. A flicker of shock glazed over his eyes then they returned to normal.

"Drew, he's badly hurt," Paul muttered.

"M-master Shu," Kuichi said, reaching out for Drew. Drew caught his hand and held it steady. "We were attacked… by warriors… bearing masks… They attacked all of us but the warriors… managed to hold them off… Need help… Need help."

Drew looked at Paul who nodded back at him.

"And so it begins," Lord Hisa, who was still gripping Kiboji's hand tightly, said grimly.

**Confused? I know I am. So things are definitely heating up are they not? I really hope this is leading up to something grand ^_^ Until next week!**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	16. Shizuka

**I'm sorry I've left you all waiting for so long! Really, I am! It's been a hectic sort of time for me here. First I've had to battle serious writer's block and then I started a full time job which has left me feeling exhausted T_T But I'm hopefully back on track for writing again!**

**Thank you all for bearing with me on this prolonged wait ^_^ **

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and plot.**

**Chapter Sixteen: Shizuka (Quiet)**

Dawn had a bad feeling about this. Biting her lip as she peeked at her husband from round a corner seeing him talking to a group of Kurai warriors, she wondered why she felt so nervous. Surely they had been in worse battles than this. Her stomach kept fluttering as her eyes lingered on Paul for far too long but he was as calm and stone faced as he usually was. Dawn flinched as he looked up at her from down the corridor and she subconsciously hugged the wall she was stood next to. He lingered round the warriors for only a few seconds more before he dismissed himself and walked towards Dawn, his hands dung into his pockets.

"What?" he asked her. Did he feel her apprehension? Dawn looked at her feet as his eyes probed hers.

"Nothing," she mumbled, "I'm just being stupid."

"I've got the best warriors on the front lines," Paul told her. "I'll be leading a group of Dark Clan warriors with Silver."

Dawn nodded dumbly as Paul continued to speak: "This is really strange. Neither Isamu or myself have ever had to organise a full on battle before. Even when the Kurai-Akari War was on, things never got to this point."

"Are you scared?" Dawn asked. He didn't answer her but looked away from her at the wall. After a short while his eyes returned to her and then he closed them.

"Just make sure you keep out of trouble," Paul told her. He brushed past her as he walked down the corridor. "I don't want to worry about you."

"I'll keep my head down if you will," Dawn replied. Paul stopped dead in his tracks but didn't turn to look at her. There was a slight pause as Paul wondered what he should say. He even opened his mouth to reply but Dawn cut him off. "I'll see you when you get back, 'K? I'll be waiting."

"Alright," Paul said. "Try to keep Akiko out of trouble. She'll be with you. Isamu's staying behind too so if you need anything-"

"I'll ask him, got it," Dawn said. Paul let out a long sigh, slipping one hand out of his pocket so he could wipe his face with it.

"Thanks," he grumbled. "Now you made me nervous."

Dawn couldn't help but giggle as she looked over her shoulder to watch the retreating back of her husband as he continued down the hall.

"Love you," she mumbled under her breath not really wanting him to hear her.

"Love you too," he called back in an almost bored tone that made her giggle once more. But the giggle was short lived as she leant her head on the corner of the wall, staring as her husband walked away. Casting her eyes down to the floor as he went around a corner, Dawn lingered at her thoughts for a short while until the sounds of foot steps alerted her to the arrival of her friends.

"Hey, Dawn," May said giddily. "Did you hear what's going on?"

Dawn let out a sigh, regaining her composure as she turned to look at her friends. She failed at smiling at them but they didn't seem to mind. Their faces instantly dropped and they were round her within seconds.

"I'm fine," she tried to tell them as she was pushed into a rather tight bear hug by both of them. "I just have a bad feeling about all this."

"It's natural for you to feel that way, Dawnie," May said.

"Paul will be fine, you know him," Misty told her. "He'll be back before you know it."

"I guess so," Dawn said, pushing away from both of them. A pout suddenly replaced her worried expression. "He didn't even give me a kiss good bye."

"Paul and you kiss?" May squeaked, clamping her hands over her mouth. "That's just weird."

"Believe it or not, he is actually human under all that purple hair," Dawn grumbled. She shook her head wildly to get rid of the negative thoughts pervading her mind then looked at Misty. "Let's go, I have work to do."

"How are we going to do anything?" Misty asked.

"We're not," Dawn replied. "Misty, I want you, Ash, Kenny and Drew to look after May."

"Drew's already been assigned-" Misty spluttered but she was silenced when Dawn raised her hand sharply.

"If given the choice Drew will want to stay close to May," Dawn said. "It's no problem really. I've got the big job here. Now how am I going to get Kiboji to get serious about this and make sure the problematic mother and uncle in law behave? Paul, you're such a coward. I'd much rather face an army of Shadow weirdoes than baby sit Akiko and Isamu."

As Dawn stomped down the corridor towards the main chamber she had the distinct feeling Paul was smirking at her. Trust him to let her have the hard job.

~K~

Kiboji seemed to be attempting to eat his fingers as he sat on a rather uncomfortable chair beside Huyuko. He didn't seem to mind the chair at all, in fact the way his bum and legs were going numb was quite a reassuring feeling to the younger leader. How on earth was he supposed to sit through this and wait while his friends and family were out there fighting and dying?

"Stop that," Dawn hissed at him making him almost shoot from his seat and hang onto the over hanging light shade above him. Obediently he removed his hands from his mouth and sat on them to remove all temptation of snacking on them. He tried to smile at his sister in law but with the nerves he was feeling the smile came out as a lopsided grimace.

"Has Shinji left yet?" Huyuko asked to which Dawn nodded as a reply. "I heard Lord Shu was pulled from the archers to look after your friend."

"Yes, I ordered it," Dawn replied.

"Quite a remarkable idea, my dear," chimed an old looking man who Dawn had never seen before. He shuffled over to her, seizing her hand gently. "Your speech in the hall was quite gutsy."

"Thanks," Dawn muttered knowing full well that her cheeks were going red. "But it wasn't anything really."

"It inspired unity, dear," the man said seriously. "Around here that is hard to come by. Even we Churitsu aren't fully united."

"Thank my sisters for that," Huyuko moaned.

"Don't blame Akiko for that," the man snapped at the prince causing Kiboji to grin mischievously at Huyuko. Huyuko sunk into his seat trying to disappear from view, not that it worked. Once the man was sure that Huyuko wasn't going to say anything else, he turned back to Dawn. His expression softened as he beamed at her. "You are really quite well matched for Shinji, you know. You are his yin and he is your yang."

"I just hope he stays safe," Dawn muttered. "I've got a feeling right here-" she pointed to her heart with her right hand, cupping over the organ "- that something's not quite right."

"I'll watch him," the man said. He sniffed the air and looked up at the ceiling. "I've lived long enough. It's about time I took part in my final battle. Please don't tell Akiko she'll only yell at me for giving up but unlike her, I can't sit by and wait. Shinji gets his restlessness from his father. I wish he was more like Akiko sometimes but if there were ever two Akikos… Well, I don't think the world could take it."

"You're fighting, old man?" Huyuko asked. The man nodded once.

"I was trained by the great Liaden herself," he replied happily. He nudged Dawn with an elbow. "That shows you how old I am, right?"

"Please be careful," Dawn said.

"And you, dear," he said in reply. "Wait for Shinji. Remember he is always waiting for you too."

Dawn was a little confused at this wanting to know what the old man was talking about. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure it out, finally opening her mouth to ask: "You know-"

"Master Toba," he said quickly, extending his hand for her to shake. Gently she took it and squeezed it, her eyes never leaving his. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine… really," Dawn mumbled. Toba bowed his head and left, only pausing to say good bye and good luck to Huyuko and Kiboji respectively. Once he was gone, Huyuko turned to Dawn, an almost bored expression on his face.

"Don't mind him," he said. "He's half mad. My sister drove him to it."

"Why would he apologise to me?" Dawn asked. She turned to Kiboji feeling something in her chest rise. Panic was coursing through her veins. What was going to happen? Something was going to happen, wasn't it? She danced round on the spot feeling her legs turn to jelly and her head swim with anxiety until Kiboji grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"It's alright," he muttered into the top of her head. His arms wrapped round her shoulders, supporting and comforting her at the same time. Instantly calmed, Dawn pressed her palms into his chest wondering since when had Kiboji been so tall. "I know. I feel it too but it's just nerves, Dawnie."

"Pull yourselves together," Huyuko snapped. Kiboji let go of Dawn, turning to size up Huyuko the instant Huyuko shut up. Taken aback by Kiboji's sudden movement, Huyuko sat up in his chair. Kiboji didn't have to say anything to make the older prince fall silent, in fact his eyes had turned rather cold and harsh much like his father's did in times of crisis. It was only when the familiar face of the Shirogane leader came into view did Kiboji relax and turn to great the warrior with a respectful bow of the head.

"I'm rather gald I never got to fight you, boy," the leader said. "You are definitely your father's son and he took a chunk out of me."

"Sorry," Kiboji said, rubbing his head.

"Don't be," the Shirogane said. "I am sure I deserved it. Arashi would only be vicious if provoked and I did provoke him, with great pleasure."

His icy blue eyes turned to Dawn who resisted the urge to hide behind Kiboji's back the moment he looked at her. With a gentle push the Shirogane knocked Kiboji out of the way so he could look Dawn head to foot.

"You look nothing like a Naiya," he stated simply.

"I wouldn't know," Dawn replied.

"Ah, there it is," he said, a wide grin appearing on his face as he pointed at her eyes. "That spark. How I remember that look. Your father and grandfather had that very look in their eyes."

"What do you want?" Dawn snapped. The Shirogane nodded, the smile on his face not fading one bit. Slowly he extended his hand so he could shake hers but Dawn seemed a little reluctant to do so. He was staring at her hungrily and it was off putting.

"I have missed the Naiya," the Shirogane said. "Despite our feud and our fighting, we had a much deeper connection than the other clans. We were friends, family even. My mother was your grandfather's sister. Your father was my cousin."

"I thought we hated each other," Dawn said.

"Never," the Shirogane replied. "If you must ask anyone then talk to Isamu. Outside our clans, he would be the only one to have witnessed what we really were: brothers. Now little Naiya, shake my hand."

Slowly and with a slight elbow from Kiboji, Dawn reached out and took the Shirogane's hand. He gripped it tightly, placing the other hand over it as he shook it.

"My name is Hajime," the Shirogane told Dawn.

"Dawn or Hikari," Dawn replied.

"I am honoured, Dawn," Hajime said. He straightened, letting go of Dawn's hand gently. "I will remain here with Lord Hisa. He may need me."

"Well I'm staying here too," Dawn said. She jerked her head to the side where Kiboji was stood. "Lord Pain-In-The-Butt will need me."

"I resent that," Kiboji growled at her. Hajime smiled at the pair as they began to bicker. His attention slipped to Huyuko who was still lounging in his seat like he didn't really care what was going on. When Huyuko felt eyes on him, he turned to see who was so interested in him.

"I'm watching you Churitsu," Hajime warned. Huyuko grinned at him.

"Me? Watch your back, Shirogane," Huyuko replied.

"If it interests you," Hajime said, "I vote Akiko, not you."

"Too bad she's not in the running," Huyuko snapped causing Dawn and Kiboji to see what was going on, their argument ceasing.

"I know why you're in this, Churitsu," Hajime said calmly. He took a few steps away from the group, instead looking at a map on the far wall. "And I don't approve."

"What are you talking about?" Kiboji asked. He turned to Dawn but she only shook her head. They would not be getting an answer any time soon.

~K~

"Where's the party?" was the first thing Drew greeted his friends with as he jogged into the small room where they were all gathered. Even though he was fully armed he seemed quite sprite and agile. May looked up at him, frowning at his good mood.

"How can you be so casual?" she asked. Drew raised his hands in surrender, a lopsided smirk appearing on his face.

"Sorry, it's habit," Drew replied. "The times get tough, the tough get cheery."

"Shame you're not tough," Misty teased, sticking her tongue out at the green haired prince who smirked at the joke.

"So I'm now leading this protection detail," Drew said. He pointed to the doors. "They will shut when the fighting starts. I have two people outside them as a first defence. Mind you they are apprentices so let's not rely on them too much."

"What should we do?" Ash asked.

"You and Kenny should be a metre from the door," Drew told them. "Use Pikachu and Empoleon to help you."

"Pika," Pikachu said as both Ash and Kenny nodded.

"I managed to snag these for you," Drew went on.

He tugged at his belt revealing a long, curved sword hanging from a holster and a small spear tied onto the belt by a thin strip of leather. After releasing the weapons from his belt, Drew passed the spear at Kenny and the sword to Ash.

"Paul suggested them for you," Drew added.

"You saw him?" Ash asked.

"How is he holding up?" Kenny said. Drew's smirk faltered slightly, a pensive expression clouding his face.

"He told me to watch out," he said. "If all fails then we could be in a lot of trouble."

His eyes settled on May.

"There's a lot to lose today," Drew told them. "Let's not give them an opportunity to win."

"I don't understand why Paul has to fight at the front," May said suddenly. It seemed that this had been bubbling inside her for a while since a sense of relief washed over her the moment she said it. "I mean, he's married and young."

"He's a warrior," Drew replied. "And he's not fighting for the sake of it. He's fighting to protect you. And me."

"But… Dawn…" May trailed off.

"If anything happened to him-" Ash said, slinging his sword over the shoulder Pikachu was not perched on. Drew's harsh glare made everyone fall silent.

"Don't you think I know," Drew snarled. "If Paul dies then Dawn will. That's why I was going to fight with him but Dawn pulled me off of that duty to do this instead. Now all I can do is sit here and feel guilty, worrying if either of them are going to make it out alive."

"Well," Misty said. "We'll help you. We'll protect May with everything we've got so you don't have to worry about it."

"And if people come after them, I'll just throw up on them," May added. "It's all good."

"Now who's been casual?" Drew asked.

"What should I do?" Misty asked before May could start yelling at Drew. It worked because May's mouth snapped shut and she turned to look at Misty.

"Just keep by her side," Drew replied. "You're the last line of defence so no pressure or anything. I'll be the in-between."

He pointed to the rafters above them causing them to gaze upwards.

"From there I should have the best vantage point," he said.

"And how are you going to get up there?" Kenny asked. Drew pulled an arrow from his quiver and put it into his bow. Aiming up at the beams of wood, he pulled back the string and let the arrow fly. Behind it trailed a thin but durable metal rope and when the arrow hit its target it seemed to grip the wood, seemingly unmovable.

"Drew?" May asked innocently as Drew began to climb up the robe. He glanced over his shoulder at her, confused as to why she had called him back. "Are you actually Robin Hood?"

"No," Drew replied sounding annoyed. He continued climbing up the rope, only stopping when he had to flip himself onto the wooden beam. He stared down at May still frowning at her. "Robin Hood never existed. It was all just a ploy to get my dad out of trouble with the law."

"Your dad is Robin Hood?" May gasped.

"Why not?" Misty muttered. "There are ninjas and dead people walking, why not have Robin Hood in the mix too."

Drew merely let out a sigh and dropped down to a seating position on the wood while May gazed happily up at him.

"Hey Misty," May said quietly. "If Drew had a girlfriend would that make her Maid Marion?"

"Depends," Misty replied off handedly. "Would you like to be Maid Marion?"

May turned her head sharply to stare at her best friend. Misty didn't seem too bothered by what she just said, too interested in watching Ash and Kenny get to grips with their new weapons.

"What?" May hissed.

"What?" Misty asked.

"Why would I be Maid Marion?" May asked quietly. Misty blinked a few times before she faced palmed, slapping herself hard in the face.

"Stupid," she snapped at herself.

"Well?" May prompted.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Misty said, flapping her arms around. "Drew's crazy about you. He has been for a while."

"What!" May yelled.

"Hey, Mount May," Drew called in a bored tone. "Keep a lid on the volcano, alright?"

"Sorry," May said quickly, ignoring the dig he was having at her. She leant forwards into Misty so she could hiss into her ear. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Misty said. "You're the only one who didn't know about it. Even Paul knew about it."

"He did?" May gulped. She seemed to talk to herself for the next few seconds. "I am so dense."

"Don't feel too bad about it," Misty said. "He's only risking his life to protect you."

"Oh shut up," May snapped. She folded her arms and pouted. "Stop picking on the pregnant woman. It's not like I asked for this, you know."

"But better you than me," Misty said.

"Maybe not," May said thoughtfully. "If you were pregnant we could just send you and you alone onto the battlefield with your mallet. They'd never stand a chance."

"Too bad," Misty agreed. "I would have enjoyed that."

"You two," Drew called to them. "Stop discussing make-up and pay attention."

"Up yours grasshead!" May yelled, blushing scarlet as she looked up at Drew. Drew on the other hand looked confused holding a thin black stone in his hand. With a shake of his head he muttered something about women and turned his attention to the battle ahead.

Paul, on the other hand, couldn't shake off the feeling of Dawn's worry in the back of his head. He should have been concentrating on what he was doing but the niggling worry was bugging him an awful lot. Shaking his head he tried to block Dawn out but found she was too persistent.

"Having trouble?" Silver asked him.

"Dawn's in the back of my head," Paul replied. "It's rather annoying."

"I'm glad I don't have that with my wife," Silver remarked casually. "She would drive me insane then."

"Why did you marry her?" Paul asked. "All you do is complain about her."

"It was a deal I made with my father," Silver stated. "I agreed to marry anyone he wanted as long as it was soon."

"And he made you marry Suzume?" Paul asked. Silver nodded. An almost sorrowful look crossed Silver's eyes along with a flash of hurt. Paul played with the hilt of his sword. "What happened?"

"While I was travelling I came across a girl," Silver told Paul. "She annoyed the hell out of me but after a while she grew on me."

"I can relate to that," Paul replied. "But not with a girl. So she dumped you?"

"Yeah," Silver said with a nod. "I was so angry with her. Days later she was with this goofy guy who had no clue."

"And naturally you ran off to marry someone else," Paul said. "Seems smart."

"Haven't you done crazy things when you're mad?" Silver asked.

"I don't get mad," Paul replied. "I tend just skip that part and get revenge. Even throughout my training I rarely lost my temper. People thought it was a weakness but any control is a strength which is why…"

He banged his palm against the side of his head, wincing at something other than pain. Silver stood back and watched him, curious as to what Paul was doing.

"Having Dawn's voice in my head is going to throw me off," Paul muttered.

"Weren't you ever told never to have a weakness?" Silver asked, raising an eyebrow. Paul paused, rubbing his head slightly as he thought about this. There was no way he could deny that Dawn was his weakness but he wasn't going to jump up and yell it to everyone in the vicinity.

"Some weaknesses can't be helped," Paul replied. "And some weaknesses are strengths."

"Yeah right," Silver scoffed.

"I'd do anything for Dawn," Paul went on. "I'd fight anyone and win just so I could see her again. When I'm weak or injured, half dying in the snow, she's the one who gives me the strength to go on. No matter how cheesy it sounds, sometimes it's because of her that I'm still standing. And sometimes she's the reason why I'm in a mess to begin off with."

"Sounds lame," Silver muttered.

"Suzume lives to please you," Paul stated causing Silver the flinch. "You can see it in the way she looks at you. Maybe you should get over the girl who broke your heart and stop being a girl about all of it."

"Perhaps," Silver replied. "How bad is it that I'm getting a lecture from a kid half my age about my life."

"I'm only eighteen," Paul corrected the red haired boy. Silver frowned but didn't bother to repeat himself. A smirk played with Paul's lips as his fingers slid down the handle of his sword and drew it majestically. "Are you ready?"

"Always am," Silver said, drawing his sword from his belt. The pair of them glanced at each other and nodded before taking a few steps forwards to the glowing portal in front of them.

**I'll try to get some action into the next chapter although I do warn you from now there is a lot of action. Hopefully you won't see what is coming next ^_^**

**See you all next week! Please review!**

**RSx**


	17. Bofuu

**Sorry for the delay once again! I already have half of the next chapter written so that should be up next week if I get it all written by the end of today. Also sorry to tell you guys this but… erm… this is the penultimate chapter of Kage. The next one will be final chapter DX So no pressure on me then? **

**Anywho, I own nothing but my OCs and plot. **

**Chapter Seventeen: Bofuu (Storm)**

He had no idea how many warriors he had slain but if the blood on his clothes was any indication, he was doing rather well. Paul straightened up as he looked around the large hall of the Emerald Clan's throne room imagining a young Drew playing on the floor while his parents sat on their seats, proud looking and calm at all the events that went on around them.

"This whole thing is a mess," Paul said to Silver who was a few feet away from him. Silver nodded once but didn't say anything else. He was panting loudly, obviously not enjoying the exercise as much as Paul was. A little way away Paul could see Luxray sniffing one of the tall marble columns for something while Silver's Sneasel stood watch by the entrance.

"How many more?" Silver asked as Paul looked around the hall.

"Arceus knows," Paul replied. He became distracted by something over beside the Lord's chair and walked towards it slowly, taking care not to fall into any traps. Beside the throne was a plaque of some kind, the same kind that Paul had seen in some other Clan's head quarters on his brief visits during his childhood. Usually it was a simple engraved plate with the Clan name and words of wisdom on it.

"Iyasu tame no monode wa arimasen kizu ga arimasu," Paul read out. He frowned. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Hmm?" Silver asked, too busy looking down one of the corridors to pay Paul much attention.

"There are wounds that are not meant to heal at all," Paul translated.

"Yeah," Silver said. "Not all scars heal, not all scars are physical. Didn't you ever study theology?"

"A little," Paul said, "but it bored me. Akiko based her theology around fighting not in lessons as such. She said it was a waste of time for me."

"Really?" Silver asked, smirking. "Too hard?"

"No, I never paid attention," Paul replied.

"It's the dolenti veritas," Silver explained. "Not all scars heal because some aren't. The scars that never heal will make you stronger or weaker depending on how you see them. Emotional scars of people's cruelty can make or break you, physical scars can cripple you or build up your body's strength. It's all very strange."

"Yeah," Paul said. "It's pathetic."

"I'm surprised Akiko didn't teach you about it," Silver said.

"Why should she?" Paul asked.

"It was her sacred vow as Princess of the Churitsu," Silver replied, his eye brow rising into his fringe. As Paul looked at Silver for more information, Silver couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at knowing something Paul did not. "When the Churitsu take up their royal positions they have to take a vow. Akiko's vow was to overcome the dolenti veritas, or painful truth, and let her scars build her strength and not weaken her."

"She never told me," Paul said. "Why? And why does the Emerald Clan use the same motto?"

"I have no idea," Silver replied. "About either. Perhaps the Emerald Clan were inspired by her or something."

"The only thing my mother inspires is madness," Paul muttered, slinging his sword over his shoulder still staring at the plaque. Something in Paul's mind didn't sit right with all this. As much as he knew his family had skeletons in the closest, Paul was getting a little fed up of being left out of the loop. Not once had Akiko talked to him about this sort of thing. Why?

The closest she had ever come to telling him about scars that never healed was during one of his first lessons. He was barely eight and the youngest of the apprentices. After a horrible day of being beat up, Akiko had stayed behind in the dojo with him so she could tend to his injuries. Subconsciously Paul rubbed his arm like he usually did when he thought about those early days in any detail. He couldn't remember what he had broken that day since all the pain from those days seemed to roll into one but each time Akiko came to bandage him up, she would have a serene smile on her face as if she was proud of him or something.

"You did better today than last time," she often said but Paul hardly ever believed her. "You learn quickly, don't you?"

"I want to fight, I want to prove myself," Paul would always reply, a stubborn tone to his voice so familiar to his father's. Each and every time Akiko would laugh at him. Then one day she didn't laugh, the only day she didn't perhaps that's why Paul remembered it so well. Instead of laughing at him, she stared him in the eye.

"_You never let it hurt you, do you?" she asked. "You never dwell on your injuries or your hurt pride."_

"_There's no point," Paul remembered him replying. "All wounds heal."_

"_Do they?" Akiko asked him._

"_Look," Paul said with childish innocence as he rolled up his sleeve. There was a faint pink line on his forearm where one of the other apprentices had sliced him with a sword a few days ago. "It's healed. It's no big deal. You just move past it, don't you?"_

"_I suppose," Akiko replied steadily. "But not all wounds are like this one. Don't the others bother you whenever they pick on you?"_

"_They're idiots," Paul said. "I don't care."_

_Akiko remained quiet, looking over her young pupil with something he didn't quite recognise. Was it worry he saw in her eyes or doubt? _

"_Honest," Paul went on. "Why should I listen to them? I know what they're trying to do and it's stupid to let them win, right? Everything heals, Sensei. If you let it, that is. If you pick at a scab then it takes longer and then it turns into a scar. And scars don't heal, do they?"_

"_Some aren't meant to," Akiko muttered. _

"_Well I don't have any because I let them heal in their own time," Paul replied. "It's stupid to dwell on it too. It makes you think about bad things when you should be looking ahead. You know… What you need to do next."_

_Akiko just stared at him, her eyes wide in awe. Suddenly, without any warning, she reached out and pulled him into a hug. Paul was confused as he was squished up against Akiko's chest in a tight embrace but he didn't say anything to her. Instead he just let her hold him._

"_You are precious," she muttered into his hair. "You will be the finest warrior one day. The best in all the land, you know. You'll give me a run for my money and your father and your uncles. Just don't ever change, 'K and you'll be unstoppable."_

Silver gave him a nudge, breaking Paul out of the memory. Paul hardly reacted despite the sound of warriors down the hallway coming towards them. Luxray was growling wildly beside Paul, his shackles raised for the oncoming attack, electricity crackling in his fur.

"You'd better focus, Shinji," Silver told him. "I'm not coming back for you if they kill you."

Paul lazily readied himself for the impending attack by sliding his sword from his shoulder and turning to face the entrance of the hall. He never really paid it any attention until now but he didn't have any scars anywhere. He was completely healed but the way Akiko had acted back then… the same couldn't be said about her, he thought. And where Akiko was scarred, Isamu and his father wouldn't be in any better shape.

~K~

As Dawn looked across the room to where Isamu was sat tapping his foot impatiently she realised just how much of a war veteran the man was. He was edgy and tended to find holes in every plan Kiboji, Huyuko and Lord Hisa put forwards. And when Isamu was silent, Akiko was sure to find a hole instead.

Dawn stood beside Hajime, the Shirogane leader, with her hands clasped tightly together behind her back while the much taller Hajime stood moodily with his arms folded across his chest. He was chewing on something that resembled a cigarette but Dawn hadn't bothered to ask what it was. The pair were in complete silence, watching as the others started to bicker amongst themselves.

"I see why our families get along so well," Dawn mused as Lord Hisa and Kiboji entered into a loud argument. "We're the only sane ones, aren't we?"

"You guessed it," Hajime replied.

Dawn rubbed her head suddenly as she felt a sharp tug of pain on her temple. When she removed her hand she found that she was bleeding from some invisible wound. Hajime glanced at her, mindlessly chewing on the end of his cigarette and keeping all thoughts to himself.

"Damn it, Paul," Dawn cursed under her breath as she dug in her pocket for a tissue. "Be more careful will you."

"Husband?" Hajime asked.

"Jerk," Dawn corrected him. She then seemed to start talking to someone else entirely. "Just pay attention, will you. If you come home battered and bruised then don't expect me to… JERK!"

With somewhat of a dark cloud over her head, Dawn hovered her hands over her temple then lowered them down her body before doing each arm with the opposite hand like she was washing herself. Happy at the result of healing herself, Dawn smiled. When she looked up she found that everyone in the room, apart from Akiko who was using this slight distraction to change something on the plans the others had created, was staring at her as if she had done something rather weird. She frowned.

"What?" she snapped. "You've never had to deal with a suicidal spouse, have you?"

"Been there," Akiko said.

"Done that," Isamu added.

"Hey!" Kiboji yelled as his eyes wandered back to the paper which Akiko was hastily changing. "That's cheating."

"Get off you stupid woman!" Lord Hisa barked.

"Stupid woman!" Akiko shrieked in rage. "I'll give you stupid woman when I put a sword through your gullet."

"Calm down, Aki," Isamu said in a calm tone.

"That's going to work," Huyuko's sarcastic voice chimed unhelpfully. Isamu rounded on Huyuko while his wife took on Lord Hisa, leaving Kiboji to try and undo the writing Akiko had made in the first place.

"You know," Hajime said for Dawn's ears only. She turned to look at him, the annoyed expression on her face mirroring his. "I'm joining the other side. Less annoying."

"Don't tempt me," Dawn mumbled.

The pair returned to watching the gaggle of warriors and leaders argue resuming their previous stances. Dawn stared blankly at Kiboji, noting that a vein had appeared on the right side of his head and was throbbing violently. She hardly moved when Reggie entered the room holding a bunch of fresh papers for the others. He watched the others silently for a few seconds before settling himself beside Dawn, joining the pair in their boredom. Eventually Reggie turned to Dawn.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Arceus knows," Hajime replied. He turned his head slightly to look at Reggie, almost glowering at the young Akari adviser. Thankfully Reggie was unnerved by the glare, having had many worse thrown at him by his brothers and uncles. "What are you doing here?"

"We've got news," Reggie said. "The teams seem to be doing quite well at the Emerald Headquarters but the warriors have moved."

"Where to?" Dawn asked.

"Here, there and everywhere," Reggie replied with a shrug. "I have no idea what's going on. There seems to be quite a build up of warriors near Cerulean City, on the cape."

"The Cerulean Cape? What's there?" Hajime asked.

"Nothing of great importance," Reggie said with a shrug. "Dad took Kibo and me there a few times when we were younger. It's pretty boring."

"Cerulean Cape?" Lord Hisa's voice announced the dissolution of the argument that had enraptured the leaders. "There's nothing of importance there."

"How odd," Huyuko commented. "Send some warriors out to see what's going on."

"I wonder if it's a trap of some sort," Kiboji said. "It's an odd place for an ambush though. There's nothing but cliffs and the ocean there."

Dawn paused to think about this for a second. Cliffs and the ocean? It wouldn't be a good place for an attack, Kiboji was right about that. On the other hand it would be a great place to jump off when everything seemed too much, although she seriously doubted the Shadows Warriors would do that. They didn't seem that desperate.

"Wait…" Dawn gasped. "May said…"

Her eyes flew to Isamu and Akiko who where apparently deep in though about something, although it didn't seem too serious. Isamu was pulling a face like he was mentally weighing something up in his head while Akiko was staring at her brother suspiciously. Dawn stood up straight, stepping forwards as she pointed at Akiko.

"You almost killed yourself on that cliff," she said. Akiko's head snapped in Dawn direction, her eyes wide. Isamu too turned to stare at Dawn, his eyes narrowing at the bad memory she had just thrown in their faces. Everyone else seemed confused, if not shocked, by what Dawn had just said.

"How did you-?" Akiko hissed.

"May saw it," Dawn replied. "But it's true, right? You were going to jump because you couldn't bear knowing Isamu hated you but wouldn't let you die. It was right after you saved my mother. You were hurt when Isamu saved you and you just wanted to die."

"Hush, you," Huyuko snapped. "A Churitsu would never take their own life. It is our sacred oath not to do such a thing. You accuse my sister of attempting to commit suicide? Ridiculous."

"Akiko and Isamu did have issues a long time ago," Lord Hisa added. "But never to such an extreme as that is."

"No," Kiboji said. "Dawn's mentioned this before. I told her last time that I remembered Akiko being carried by Isamu, how dad thought she was dead and Isamu arguing with Grandpa about it."

"Akiko?" Huyuko turned on Akiko. She seemed to regain her cool sense of composure, turning her head to meet Huyuko's gaze.

"I tried to throw myself off that cliff," she replied calmly. "I wanted to die but there were no battles that day. I felt beyond saving then Isamu stopped me."

"So it's a message," Isamu said thoughtfully. His expression darkened as he cupped his chin with his hand. "He'll be there."

"No," Akiko snapped, twirling round to face her husband. "No."

"I've got a score to settle, Aki," Isamu said Akiko stepped up to him, her face twisted into a threatening expression that caused everyone, even Huyuko, to step away from her.

"And what will you do exactly?" she asked. "Get your ass handed to you, again? Like every other time you went up against him? If you go, you're on your own."

"He's waiting for me," Isamu told her, sounding calm. As she opened her mouth to yell at him, he swooped forwards and kissed her. She roared into his mouth before pushing her hands into his chest, trying to get him off her. It didn't work. The arm he had around her waist was just too tight to be broken from her.

"Uh oh," Kiboji sang, taking another step backwards and hiding behind Lord Hisa. Isamu stepped away from Akiko, finally letting her go. She glowered at him, her shoulders hunched up like she was going to pounce on him at any given second. Isamu offered her a lop-sided smile then turned to her brother.

"Look after her," Isamu looked as though he was thinking about something for the briefest of seconds but then he smiled and nodded. Somewhat happy at this, Isamu turned to the younger Akari members. "Now you three stay out of trouble while I'm gone. Look after each other and don't annoy Aki too much."

"Right," Reggie said.

"You better be careful too," Dawn said, pointing a threatening finger at Isamu. "Otherwise you'll have to answer to me."

Isamu gave a chuckle: "It's a deal then. Hajime, Hisa, it's been a pleasure."

"Same here," Hajime replied with a formal nod of the head. Isamu didn't wait around any longer, disappearing into the fog like mist of the Shadow Warriors. Everyone watched as the mist cleared, none so much as Akiko who looked like she was willing him to come back.

"He's going to kill us," Akiko snapped suddenly, punching the air violently. "Damn men! Why can't you do as you're told!"

As she yelled this Dawn became painfully aware that her lip had split. She reached up to check the wound, licking at the blood that was now pouring from it.

"Because they're idiots," Dawn muttered. "But they love us."

"You two are cursed," Lord Hisa commented thoughtfully. "It's the curse of the Churitsu. Whenever a Churitsu gives their heart to someone they love and that love accepts it, they become curse with this bond. They feel their spouse's pain, think their thoughts and when their spouse dies so do they."

"It's what makes us strong," Huyuko said.

"Then why aren't you married?" Kiboji asked. "I mean if it made you stronger then why haven't you jumped on the band wagon?"

Huyuko pointed at himself, eyebrows furrowed: "Commitment issues."

"Amen to that," Kiboji nodded, a sly smile appearing on his face.

"Well I'm not going to sit around here and wait all day," Akiko snapped. "Arceus knows I'm not as patient as Dawn nor as stupid as my mother."

"Kiko you're injured," Kiboji told her. "Besides I want you here."

Akiko turned to look at her young nephew, her face blank of all emotion. Then a small smile cracked onto her face.

"You know I hardly listened to your father," she said. "Do you really think that I will listen to you?"

"I know there's a slim chance of that," Kiboji said, joining in with the smiling. "As Akari Leader I feel it is my responsibility to warn you of your injuries and what you should do, just in case you get killed. That way I can say I did everything I could to stop you."

"Smart kid," Akiko remarked.

"Make sure he doesn't get beat up too much," Kiboji said.

"I will," Akiko said, bowing her head. She ignored the look her brother was giving her as she walked over to Dawn and Reggie. She pulled Reggie into a hug, muttering a 'look after them' in his ear. He nodded into her shoulder. When she had finished hugging Reggie, Akiko turned to Dawn.

The two of them stared at each other for a second or two until Dawn rushed forwards and hugged Akiko tightly.

"Be careful," Dawn said, silent tears pouring from her eyes. She felt as Akiko calmly stroked her hair like a mother would do to calm her daughter.

"If there's one thing you should know about me, Dawn," Akiko mumbled. "It's that I always come back to the ones I love."

"Promise?" Dawn asked.

"With my heart," Akiko replied, nodding. The two separated but continued to stare at each other. "Make sure you look after Shinji. Keep yourself calm and focused."

"I'll try," Dawn said quietly. Akiko turned sharply to look at Hajime.

"Shirogane," Akiko said briskly. Hajime straightened up, his arms snapping to his side as he stood to attention. "I'm leaving her in your charge."

"I'll make sure she's alright," Hajime promised.

Finally Akiko turned to Huyuko. The siblings stared at each other very much like Dawn and Akiko had only moments before but neither of them moved to hug each other. This was a stand-off. Something caused Akiko to flinch and she broke the eye contact with her brother.

"Behave," she told him firmly. Then she was gone from the planning room. When she rematerialized the first thing she was greeted with was not the blade of an enemy warrior or the laugh of Ichiro, no. As she landed on her feet and drew her sword she was only greeted by one thing.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Isamu yelled at her. Calmly, Akiko surveyed the area finding that there had been no fighting yet but standing with her back against her husband's she could tell that they were very much surrounded.

"Community service," Akiko replied. "I'm saving an idiot."

"Yeah?" Isamu asked, sounding amused. "You married me."

"I had little choice, as I recall," Akiko said. "Now, has the old man stopped taunting you?"

"Yup," Isamu nodded.

"Then why are you still standing there?" Akiko asked. She reached for her belt, finding one of her throwing stars which she then threw at the nearest Shadow Warrior. Isamu grinned and copied her motion, starting off the fight on their terms.

~K~

Paul jumped out of the way just in time as one of the large columns fell right where he had been standing two seconds previously. As he looked up at the large piece of marble, thanking his senses that he had managed to move out of the way in time, he shot a small aura attack towards a warrior who was running madly towards him.

"Still there, Silver?" Paul called to his partner. Silver didn't answer but Paul wasn't worried in the slightest. Eventually the red head would catch up to him. There was movement over the top of the fallen column and Paul was relieved to see Luxray bounding towards him.

"Where's Silver?" Paul asked the Pokémon.

"Ray," Luray replied, bobbing his head in the direction Silver was. Paul nodded figuring that Silver had gotten a little tired and was taking a break. With a small smirk on his face Paul continued on his way with Luxray at his heel.

"We'll let the old man catch up to us later," Paul muttered to his faithful partner who smirked up at him.

They had moved from the throne room of the Emerald headquarters and were slowly making their way into the basement. Paul couldn't help but feel slightly put off by the dark damp walls he was walking next to. They were old stone, the sort Paul had seen in pictures of medieval castles complete with damp patches where water had got in somehow. Paul stopped on the stone steps, looking up the way he had just come. He could see the light of the door where he had entered, the fallen column just beyond that.

"Ray?" Luray asked stopping to see what was wrong with Paul.

"It's nothing," Paul replied. "We should go back to check on Silver."

"Ray?"

"I don't know," Paul said sharply. He rubbed his head irritably for a second then continued down the stairs, brushing past Luxray.

"Lux? Luxray ray ray," Luxray said wondering why on earth Paul had decided to keep on walking when he had just said he wanted to go the other way.

"Something's down here," Paul told Luxray. "It's making me want to run away. Naturally, I have to check it out."

Luxray nodded and skipped to catch up his master, his ears alert to anything that may cause them a problem. Luxray kept looking up at Paul wondering where this look of determination had come from. Was Paul running towards danger to prove that he could even with Dawn's worry in the back of his head or was something else propelling him down the stairs, drawing him in like a Heracross to honey. Luxray didn't know but whether he liked it or not he would find out very soon.

~K~

"Are you going to yield now?" Ichiro asked Isamu boredly as Isamu panted heavily. Blood stained his kimono, his own mixing with the blood of the foe he had cut down. Gritting his teeth in determination, Isamu shook his head. His eyes narrowed as he prepared for another attack.

There was a flurry of movement from Isamu as he cut down several of the Shadow Warriors closest to him. His sword caught the setting sun, blinding a few of the warriors for a crucial few seconds in which Isamu used to cut them down with a casual flick of the sword.

"This is all very stupid of you, Isamu," Ichiro said. The old Akari leader looked over to his right where Akiko was blasting a group of Shadow Warriors with her aura attacks. Ichiro smirked and started forwards towards her. Isamu stopped fighting to stare at his father then his wife.

"Aki!" he yelled. Akiko disappeared into smoke without looking round, appearing at Isamu's side to help him finish off a warrior. When she saw he was in no big trouble she looked at him in confusion.

"What?" she asked.

"My father-" Isamu went to explain but he didn't get any further than that. A heavy burst of energy knocked the pair to the floor and held them down on their fronts. Akiko yelped as she fell onto her dagger.

"Ow," she moaned. "Impaled by the handle of a weapon."

"Smoke out of here," Isamu told her. Akiko looked at him, her eyes wide with pain.

"Are you kidding me? I used up my last smoke coming to you," she said. "Do you know how much blood I've lost?"

Isamu took this time to look his wife up and down. He found that the wound she had been recovering from had been yet again torn open and was bleeding quite heavily. Darted around her body were bruises and cuts, a stark contrast to her paling skin tone.

"What can you do?" he asked her.

"I can pray if you like," she replied. "It's about my level of usefulness at the minute."

"Damsel in distress?" Isamu mused pleasantly. Akiko cracked him a smile but it soon faded as Ichiro stepped in front of them. He stood above them with his head held high, one eyebrow raised and a triumphant smirk on his face.

"So the mighty fall," Ichiro taunted them. "Funny, I thought you two would be the hardest to defeat. Then again, perhaps the team of Akiko and Isamu is not as strong as that of Arashi and Akiko, hmm?"

"Aki?" Isamu said to his wife, waiting for her to do something but all she did was rest her chin on the grass.

"You're not getting a rise out of me, old man," she replied calmly. "If you're going to kill us do it quickly. If I'm going out, I want to go out with dignity not by dying of boredom from one of your speeches."

Isamu couldn't help but crack another smile at his wife, seemingly proud at her retort. He copied her, resting his chin on the floor and looking up at his father peacefully. Ichiro looked down at them. His eyebrows had knitted together unsure at what the pair were playing at. He knew both of them well enough to know to keep an eye on what they were doing. You could never trust Akiko to act in the way you wanted her to.

"I suppose I could kill you," Ichiro said finally. "You are a constant nag and somewhat of a trouble maker."

"That seems to be the consensus with you old folk," Akiko commented.

"If only you'd kept to script I'd forced you into then we wouldn't be here today," Ichiro spat at her. "But no. You had to play the 'I'm in love with you' card with him. You had to turn him against me."

"Who's he? The Skitty's father?" Isamu retorted.

"My plan was perfect, not even my wife could stop it," Ichiro said, ignoring Isamu. "Then you had to brainwash him, had to take him away from the part he had to play. You turned him into-"

"A decent human being?" Akiko asked.

"A handsomely strong warrior with a sense of wrong and right?" Isamu guessed.

"Don't be an idiot," Akiko told him. Isamu turned his head to look at her, ready to give her a grin but any sense of goodness died there and then. Akiko was now resting her head on its side, blood flowing from both corners of her mouth. Her eyes were half closed. "Don't look at me like that. I'll be OK."

"Aki," Isamu said. He tried to wriggle from his prison but he couldn't move a muscle.

"You can save her," Ichiro said. "Join me and we'll get you both healed up nicely."

"And why should I do that?" Isamu yelled. Akiko gave a moan as whatever was holding them down tightened on her.

"Not… helping," she wheezed.

"Aki!" Isamu yelled. He closed his eyes, mustering all his energy but with his own injuries and the creeping feeling of Akiko's it wasn't a lot.

"Stupid boy," Ichiro taunted. "You can't save her unless you join us."

"No!" Isamu yelled. Just as Ichiro was about to yell at him, Isamu disappeared into mist, reappearing right away in front of Ichiro. With a swing of his sword Isamu knocked Ichiro over, forcing the old man to stop concentrating on whatever aura attack was holding Akiko down. She let out loud breath and moved to get to her feet even though it was useless. All the feeling was gone from her body.

Isamu crouched down beside her with a pained expression on his face.

"Bad move?" he asked her.

"Just slightly," she replied. He helped her up to her feet, putting an arm round her to make sure she wouldn't slip and fall. Once up right she found she could stand on her own but she wasn't going to push Isamu away just yet. Her eyes wandered to the peaceful looking cape where a long time ago Akiko used to come with Arashi to escape her parents.

On those long summer days when they were only teens, they would run around and play fight on the grass before sitting in the shade of the large cherry blossom tree and watch the sun go down. Ironic she had such a romantic time with a man she had no romantic feelings for when the man she loved never came here with her apart from the day she attempted to kill herself. Since then neither of them had ventured to this spot just in case it all became too tempting to jump.

"_If we jump, we jump together, hand in hand, when everything seems lost and there's no way out. Promise?"_

Akiko's mouth opened a little and her tongue slid out to wet her lips. They were both too weak to save themselves but if they were killed by the hands of the Shadow Warriors then who would know what would happen to them? If Shadow Warriors were made from dead warriors then both of them could end up being two in the army.

"Isamu," Akiko muttered. "I think it's time we made good of that promise."

Isamu looked down at her, staring her in the eye for a few seconds until his nodded. He understood everything what she meant. Slowly, to make it look as though they were backing away they began to step backwards. The Shadow Warriors behind them seemed to move out of their way as they went while Ichiro strode forwards.

"Look at you two," he was taunting them. "So weak and pathetic. How ever did you two become the most feared warriors in the world is a mystery to me. You cling to each other like a scared little child clings onto a doll."

"Yeah well," Isamu said. He stopped shuffling backwards as he felt the edge of the cliff behind him. Akiko gripped him tightly.

"Join me, Isamu," Ichiro said. "This is why you were born. This is why I raised you like I did. So you could rise above the others and become a leader within the Shadow Warriors, just like I planned with Makkurana."

"Who?" Isamu asked.

"The man behind all of this," Ichiro explained a slightly mad smile washing over his face. "He is the lord of all Shadow Warriors. Even since before you were born, Makkurana said that you would be a great warrior, a general of his Shadow Army. So tainted by darkness that you would live and breathe it, scorned by your brothers and wife, you would take it out on the world and conquer it all in the name of Shadows."

"So you made me into a monster?" Isamu asked. "You made my mother ignore me, made my life hell then married me off to someone who clearly belonged with my brother to make me angry at them? Then when I finally got along with my wife you forced her to have a child with my brother?"

"You were born with that darkness in your heart," Ichiro said. "I only brought it out of you."

"No," Isamu said defiantly. "I am Akari. I am light. Nothing can change that."

"This is your destiny," Ichiro went on.

"Aki," Isamu said. Akiko looked up at him as he stared across at his father. Slowly he looked down at her, the frown on his face disappearing as soon as he looked at her. "Ready?"

"Yes," she mumbled. "I love you."

"I know," he replied. "Thank you for staying with me. I love you too."

"What are you doing?" Ichiro barked. "What are you going to do?"

Isamu closed his eyes. Akiko copied him, grasping his clothes tightly in her hand and snuggling her nose into his chest. Ichiro was still barking 'what are you doing' at them as Isamu let them topple backwards, slipping just over the edge of the cliff. His free hand moved to clasp Akiko's as they fell.

"What are you doing!" Ichiro yelled from the cliff top, leaning over the side to watch them fall onto the rocks below. The sea roared beneath them, shifting so it could swallow them up.

Akiko opened her eyes slightly before they hit the rocks.

"Forgive us," she whispered.

**Yup. Kudos if you have worked out what's going on and what will happen next XD I hope the ending will still be enjoyable for you guys. *please don't kill me* **

**The next chapter will be out next week if I get it finished now lol.**

**Please review!**

**RSx**


	18. Shi

**Yet again, sorry for the delay. The first third of this was completed last week, the last third was finished two weeks ago but the middle third was only completed today when I decided I had time to write before I went out. **

**So here is the final chapter of Kage. I hope you enjoy and I will hopefully have the next story out soon I was going to post the very end of this as an extra chapter but that would be too mean XD**

**Thank you so much for people who have stuck with this. I hope you join me next time for the next instalment of this series.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and plot **

**Chapter Eighteen: Shi (death)**

Drew was lounging on the beam rather than sitting upright like he was supposed to. There wasn't anything coming or at least that's what the reports said. He was clutching a small flat pebble in his hand which relayed messages to warriors in the area. If there was trouble coming then Drew would know.

"He looks almost brooding up there," May whispered to Misty.

"Shut up," Misty moaned, very bored at the constant chatter from May about Drew.

"Are you sure he likes me?" May asked.

"For the love of Arceus!" Misty snapped.

"Keep it down, Misty," Drew called without looking at the pair.

"Up yours Drew," Misty retorted. She turned to glare at May, who shrank back in her seat slightly. "This is not the time for this. Got it?"

"O-OK," May mumbled.

"Hey, when you've stopped picking on the crazy pregnant lady don't forget to leave some sugar for us," Drew remarked, grinning down at the two girls.

"When are the bad guys going to get here?" Ash asked. As he said this, Drew felt the pebble in his hand start to burn announcing the latest news. He quickly looked into his palm and turned the pebble round so he could see what news was coming through.

"_Forgive us_."

Drew was confused by the message and got to his feet slowly.

"Drew, what's wrong?" Kenny asked.

"Drew?" May asked quietly. Drew ignored them both since he was too busy staring up at the ceiling.

"Is it bad news?" Ash asked. "Is Paul alright?"

His head shot up as realisation hit him head on. His grasp round the stone tightened as he inwardly cursed himself for being so stupid.

"They're after the wrong people," Drew muttered. He jumped down from the beam and ran towards the door. The two sentries who were stood waiting for any sign of trouble turned to look at Drew like he was completely mental. He turned to the tallest of the two. "I need you to take a message to Kiboji right away. We need Paul back here, now."

"Yes, sir," the guard said. He rushed off to relay the message to the leaders while Drew closed the door.

"What's going on?" Misty asked, getting to her feet and putting her hands on her hips.

"Something bad's happened, hasn't it?" Ash said.

"Something's happened to Akiko," Drew mumbled.

"What?" the other four yelled. May got to her feet slowly and walked over to the group which was now crowding round Drew.

"Not so loud," he scolded them.

"How do you know that?" May asked quietly. Drew showed them the pebble in his hand but with the confused expressions on the faces of his friends, he realised they did not know what was going on.

"It's just a feeling I have," Drew explained to them urgently. "Look. When Akiko's mother died she left a message to her children saying 'forgive me'. It's weird that we would get a message like that."

"But forgive us would mean-" Kenny started.

"The only people who will know are Huyuko and Paul," Drew said. "But it's likely that if Akiko's gone so is Isamu."

"We're so dead," May squeaked. She put her head in her hands, her eyes incredibly wide. "This really is the end of the world."

"But now both of Paul's parents are dead," Drew went on. "I've got a horrible feeling about this. I think we might have walked straight into a trap."

~K~

Paul stopped dead in his tracks as he felt something alien flash through him. It was an odd feeling like he suddenly found he had lost something. He checked his person finding that he had got everything he came with: his sword, his dagger and his Pokémon. Everything was accounted for.

"Ray?" Luxray asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Nothing," Paul replied. "Let's go on."

He walked down the final stone steps and found himself at an archway. He gave the tiniest of pauses then walked onwards.

"Paul, something's not right. Come back to base," Dawn's voice flickered in his head. Paul stopped again.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Drew says you should come back," Dawn told him. "He's worried about something. We're all worried, we got a strange message on the pebbles."

Curious to what she meant, Paul dug into his pocket for his own pebble. He ran his thumb over the words '_forgive us_' wondering what on earth they meant.

"I don't see what this has to do with me," Paul muttered.

"Please, just come back," Dawn pleaded with him. Paul nodded and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm coming back now," he told her. He turned to Luxray who nodded his consent at leaving. "Let's go."

"Ray," Luxray agreed with another nod. Paul was just reaching for the Pokémon's pokéball when something flew past his nose. He jumped backwards, well aware that Luxray was growling at something.

"Fight or run?" Paul asked. "I think we should run on this occasion."

"Lux," Luxray agreed. Luxray run up to Paul, allowing Paul to place a hand on his head. Paul closed his eyes thinking about going back to Dawn and away from danger.

When he opened his eyes Paul found he was still stood in the archway.

"What-" he jumped out of the way of something sharp and metallic coming right for him. Luxray jumped to his side, glancing over to see why they hadn't returned to base. Paul met his gaze. "I don't know what's wrong. It's like I can't leave here."

He closed his eyes and tried to disappear but when he opened his eyes once more he was still on the same spot. Luxray cocked his head to one side, one eye brow raised at Paul. Their silent exchange was cut short by an array of thin metallic arrows hurtling towards them. Paul did a back flip to avoid them, cursing as his arm gave out from underneath him making him crash face first onto the floor. He looked up to see whether or not Luxray was laughing at him for doing such a rookie mistake but the blue Pokémon was eying Paul with concern. Paul looked at his arm finding that one of the thin metallic arrows had shot through his arm. The funny thing was that Paul didn't feel it, not even when he ripped it out of his arm.

"Paul?" he heard Dawn's shaky voice ask him. "Are you OK?"

"I can't teleport," Paul told her. "Luxray and I are leaving here. I don't like it."

"Are you under attack?" Dawn asked. "How hurt are you?"

Paul froze and grabbed his arm tightly, looking down at the silver arrow that had pierced his arm. He gulped once. He hadn't felt a thing but what if he wasn't supposed to. That would mean that Dawn would be the one getting hurt, not him. He tossed his head over his shoulder and stared at Luxray.

"Luxray, we're out of here," Paul ordered.

"Ray ray," Luxray agreed. Luxray bounded up the stairs with Paul not far behind him but as the Pokémon ran up the stairs away from Paul, the stairs started to crack. A large chunk fell away from the wall separating the pair.

"Someone really doesn't want me to leave," Paul mumbled grimly. He took a few steps back so he could take a running jump over the gap. "Ready?"

"Ray," Luxray replied with a nod, turning round and waving his tail around just in case Paul needed the help.

"Ready?" Paul asked. Luray gave an informative nod to show he was braced to help Paul out if he needed it. Paul exhaled deeply as he readied himself for the jump. He took a step forwards, his knee bending so he could spring him into a high jump. But before he could make another move there was another loud crack and the floor beneath Paul crumbled. He jumped backwards in an effort to save himself from falling.

"Lux lux?" Luxray yelled. Paul looked around seeing there was another way across but the gap between him and his partner had all but doubled.

"See if you can find Silver," Paul ordered. "He might be able to help me."

"Lux," Luxray agreed and sprinted off up the stairs leaving Paul staring after him. Paul let out a sigh wondering how on earth he would be able to get out of this now. It was obvious something didn't want him to leave this place. The only question was who was it?

It was only when the stairway fell silent did Paul feel a pair of eyes burning through him. He slowly turned round to find someone staring at him from the bottom of the stairs not too far away.

"It's a pleasure to meet you after all this time," the person said slowly. His voice was deep to say he was a slim man with a very young looking face. Paul put a hand on his sword as a cautionary measure. There was no doubt in his mind that this man was going to attack him but Paul was hardly going to start a fight with someone given the circumstances.

"And you are?" Paul asked.

"They call me many things, Shinji Akari or should I call you Paul?" the man said, his thin lips curling into a grim smirk. Paul bit his lip, his hand sliding further down the handle of his sword just in case of an attack. He didn't like this man at all.

"You didn't answer my question," Paul snapped.

"They call me the Great Darkness but I'm more commonly known as Makkurana," the man introduced himself. He gave a long low bow his eyes never leaving Paul once. When he returned upright Makkurana drew his sword from his belt. Paul followed suit quickly. "You're quick to draw your sword little Akari. Haven't you heard of me?"

"It's because I've heard of you that I'm so quick to draw my sword," Paul replied. "You're working with my grandfather, Ichiro."

Makkurana gave a hollow laugh, a manic smile growing on his face.

"Oh no boy, I'm not working with Ichiro. Ichiro is working for me," he laughed. Paul was about to say something else but the glint in Makkurana's eye quietened him. For the first time in Paul's life he started a fight.

~K~

Dawn bit her lip nervously. What was taking Paul so long to come home? Why hadn't he arrived here yet? She hugged herself as she silently fretted about him.

"Please me alright," she kept repeating to herself in her mind wishing that he would return soon. She didn't realise how pale she had turned or how much she was shaking. She was in a literal state of fear ever since word of Akiko and Isamu had come back to them.

To her right Hajime looked down at her with sympathy. Slowly he put one hand on her shoulder and she froze. Her wide eyes turned on him, tears threatening to pour from the corners.

"He'll be alright," he told her softly. "He's just as stubborn as Akiko and as cunning as Arashi."

"I hope you're right," Dawn muttered. "I just hope he's alright."

"If he's got you to come home to I'm sure he'll be as right as rain," Hajime told her. A small smile appeared on Dawn's frightened face as she appreciated Hajime's kind words. Still the niggle of worry and fear ate away at the back of her mind.

"What is taking him so long?" Kiboji snapped suddenly. Dawn and Hajime glanced over to the Akari leader who was sat on a chair fiddling with his fingers in an annoyed sort of way. His temper was wearing thin from his worry about his youngest brother and he had become irritated by the whole predicament.

Dawn walked over to Kiboji and placed her hand over his. He glanced up at her, smirking nervously as his gaze returned to the floor.

"I know, I know," he told her. "But I'm his brother, I have to worry about him."

He let out a long sigh then got to his feet. He began pacing up and down the room, rubbing his face roughly with the flat of his hand.

"We're so pathetic," he said aloud. "If we're like this after one battle there's no way we can win a war. I'm not cut out to be a leader."

"You're doing better than most during their first battle," Hajime mused. "It's a hard game especially when you have family out on the field."

"No kidding," Kiboji snapped.

"You're father never sat in a room like this," Hajime went on. "He always fought beside his brothers and Akiko. The four of them were one amazing team."

"That doesn't help me right now," Kiboji snapped causing Hajime to laugh.

"You'll come into it in your own way," Hajime said. "You need to have more faith in yourself, like Shinji has faith in you."

"Right," Kiboji sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and let out another sigh. "I just wish he was here. What's keeping him? I can't help but feel that something bad is going to happen to him."

"You and me both," Dawn muttered. She hugged herself again thinking to herself: "Paul, please come home safe."

~K~

Paul slumped forwards, using his sword to balance him. How had Makkurana brought him to his knees so easily? From his last attack, Makkurana should be bleeding but there wasn't a scratch on him. It wasn't possible.

With all the energy he could muster, Paul looked up at the foreboding shadow of his attacker. Makkurana was looking down at his top, inspecting the gash in the material with childlike innocence. It was almost like he couldn't fathom how his clothes had been torn. For some reason this unsettled Paul but that feeling was nothing compared to what he felt when the man raised his head and stared straight at him.

Makkurana's eyes were hollow. They shone with ghostly whiteness like he was possessed by something more than evil. The shadow falling across his face only brought out the eyes more, sending alarm bells ringing in Paul's ears.

"I wouldn't run if I were you," he stated as Paul thought about disappearing. When he spoke a chill went down Paul's spine. His eyes snapped to the man's face, not even bothering to remove the look of shock off his face. How did he know? "I would drag you back here and then you'd have no energy left."

"Isn't that what you want?" Paul growled back. He began to feel the familiar feeling of the Heiwana Kokoro rise in his chest. It churned in his stomach, pushing upwards to his fingers and head.

"No," Makkurana said. "Believe it or not, I need you alive for a little while longer."

"Why's that?" Paul asked. He found he was getting to his feet through no control of his own. When was he going to lose control of his body? He knew he couldn't control his body if he slipped into the Heiwanna Kokoro so why was he still aware of everything that was going on? Makkurana seemed confused too, tilting his head to one side to see what was going on.

"Interesting," he said. "The Akari blood in you is working against the Churitsu giving you the strength of the Heiwanna Kokoro but the awareness of your consciousness. That is very interesting."

"Glad you like it," Paul replied. He started forwards with his sword raised. The man barely moved as Paul rushed past him. He swung his sword and was about to disappear into smoke when he heard Dawn's scream ring in his ear.

He fell into the shoulder of the man, feeling his sword fall out of his hand. It clattered on the floor somewhere away from them.

Dawn let out a cream as she collapsed into the arms of Kiboji, a dribble of blood pouring from the corner of her mouth.

"What's going on?" Hajime snapped as he rushed towards them.

"Shinji," Kiboji replied worriedly, trying his best to keep Dawn from falling onto the floor. He held her tightly into his body, trembling as he did so. "He's hurt."

"She's hurt," Hajime said, kneeling down to help the Akari leader support Dawn. Her eyes had gone unfocused, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Pa-Paul," she muttered.

"You feel that, don't you?" Makkurana asked Paul, too close to his ear for comfort. There was something menacing in his voice. With a fluid movement the man withdrew his sword from Paul's chest, pushing the boy to the floor. Paul fell backwards, having no idea how he managed to stay in an upright position as he grasped the area just under his heart.

"The pain you feel isn't just yours," Makkurana said. Like a predator stalking his prey, the man began to circle Paul, his eyes still glowing. "She is hurting too. How near death both of you are. Churitsu are horribly pathetic beings. They cling to that one person – their soul mate – and when they die so do they.

"Perhaps the most fun I ever had was killing Seiko Churitsu. She had too much control over Seichi and had to go. I thought her daughters would fall into place and two of them did. The last of them began to stir up trouble. I had to get rid of her," the man said. He produced a cloth from his robes and started to wipe his sword clean. For a moment the only noise being made was Paul's shallow gasps of air.

"Akiko. Haruko. They were obedient in my plans, sticking to their clans throughout but Natsuko," here Makkurana made a disgusted snorting sound. He shot Paul a glare. "She had to warn you, didn't she? She had to tell you about the two people who would destroy me. But it all worked out in the end, for me."

Paul glared up at the man, clenching his teeth tightly as he tried to pull what little energy was left from his body.

"You understand I would never let you die, Shinji," he went on. He then turned and began walking as if he was reciting some poetry or something to the air. "He is a boy of no ordinary upbringing, the favourite of his father. Gifted with everything he ever wanted but ignorant to the thing he needs. The plans set out for him will be undone by his parents who will have perished before the darkest day. The other is a girl of no value but worth her weight in diamonds. She will have lost everything on the darkest day, even half of herself. If she does not die, the world will fall."

Makkurana turned sharply on the spot, sizing up to Paul with a sadistic expression on his darkened face.

"Did you know that your mother threw herself off a cliff this afternoon, Shinji?" he cackled. "Along with your uncle. They committed suicide. They ran away from battle and left you. Your father too, threw himself in front of a sword to protect Sayuri so he could die. He knew it and he still gave up."

"And if you kill me," Paul gasped. "You'll… lose. If you kill me… Dawn will die too."

"True," Makkurana agreed with a nod. "But if I killed Seiko how come Seichi did not die?"

Paul's eyes widened. With only a few steps Makkurana was beside Paul, grabbing him by the hair and pushing him roughly forwards. Paul let out a yell and attempted to turn his head to see what he was doing.

"It's rather like a piece of string," Makkurana taunted. "You snip it and you'll lose it forever."

Paul let out another yell as a blade shot through his heart but it wasn't just that. He felt something snap behind him and the yell of Dawn's screams died in his ears. Paul fell back onto the floor, eyes wide as he felt blood flow out of him. He couldn't feel Dawn anymore. The niggling worry in his head was gone. The warmth of having someone there had disappeared.

Tears formed in Paul's eyes as he realised just how scared he was.

"Well done, Shinji Akari," Makkurana said as he leaned into Paul's view. "You just killed the whole world but I doubt you care about that. As for your little wife, she'll have a life worse than death. She'll be a body without a soul, dead and rotting inside. Isn't that a cheery thought? Perhaps you should have listened to her."

"Bastard," Paul growled weakly, his eyes trying to focus enough so he could glare. He couldn't manage it though. His throat was clogging up with blood causing him to wheeze and splutter. Makkurana gave him one last sadistic look and disappeared out of his line of sight. Paul could still hear his footsteps leaving him to die alone.

All Paul was left with was the slowing sound of his heart beat and the horrid feeling that he had just lost the love of his life forever.

~K~

"What happened?" One voice demanded in a sharp tone with a tired undertone.

"We're not sure. We scoured the area but all we found was this," replied a stoic voice. There was a slight pause where the stoic person must have given something to the sharp one.

"That's Shinji's," the sharp person said sounding pained.

"We know. There was no body just that."

"There's a lot of blood on it," a fresh voice commented gravely. "If that is his then…"

"But she's still alive," the sharp tone snapped.

Slowly she opened her eyes, grimacing at the bright sunlight pouring into the room. It hurt at first but she soon found her eyes adjusted to the light. She was laid in a large four poster bed in a lavishly decorated room but she couldn't see any people.

"Will she be alright?" a female voice shrieked.

"She has to be," another replied.

"I'm not sure," the sharp tone said slowly. "Shinji…"

"He's dead," the stoic voice stated. "I know he would be here if he wasn't."

"I agree," the third male agreed.

"But he can't be dead!" one of the girls yelled.

She sat up in bed slowly, glancing to her left as she saw the head of a strange blue creature raise so its large yellow eyes were staring at her. Deciding that the creature wasn't going to eat her, she shuffled out of her bed and got to her feet.

Standing felt weird. She was sure she had never stood up before but it felt so natural. She took a few steps marvelling how easy it was to walk even if she couldn't remember doing it before now. She stepped towards the door, not noticing the curious stare of the blue creature. As she fumbled with the handle, eventually opening it, the hinges squeaked making the babble of people outside her door fall silent.

Once stood in the open doorway she stared at the faces of six people who seemed to be staring back her with strange expressions etched into their features. She was in awe at the people before her. They looked so strange but normal looking. What did she know? She'd never seen another person before.

"Dawn? You're up," one of them said. It was a tall person with purple hair. He looked male but what did she know? She tilted her head to the side not recognising the first word he said to her.

"Dawn. Yes I am," she replied.

"Dawn?" one of the girls asked. She looked at the orange haired girl expecting her to say something else but when she didn't she got confused.

"Dawn what?" she asked.

"What is she going on about?" the stoic voice asked. She looked round to stare at a red headed boy stood with his arms folded. The purple haired boy stepped forwards, putting an arm round her.

"That's your name: Dawn," he told her softly.

"What's a name?" she asked.

"It's what you are called," he explained. His tone remained soft and calm but the way he was staring at her made her think he was going to burst into tears any second. "I am Kiboji."

"And I'm Misty," the orange haired girl added.

"I'm May," the other girl said. "Don't you remember?"

"Do you think this could be related to Paul's death?" the red head asked.

"I'm not sure," Kiboji replied, shooting the red head a warning look. Once again she became confused.

"What's a Paul?" she asked.

The room fell into silence. Kiboji visibly flinched while May gasped. Dawn watched as the other two boys, who had remained quiet until now, looked at each other. The green haired boy turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Drew!" May called, running off to find him.

"You don't remember Paul?" Misty asked.

"What is a Paul?" she asked. "I don't know what one is."

Kiboji slowly let go of her. He seemed to withdraw from her like she was diseased, making sure to keep as far away as possible without being too rude.

"What's a Paul?" she asked. "Is it something important?"

Kiboji grimaced, slinking further backwards until he gave up completely and left the room in a hurry. The red head lingered for only a second later before following him leaving her alone with Misty and the remaining black haired boy. When she looked back at Misty she found that the orange haired girl was crying.

"What's wrong?" she asked innocently, greatly confused. "What's a Paul?"

"Please," the boy said in a croaky voice. "Please just stop asking that."

"OK," she replied. "Why is water coming from your eyes? Are you alright?"

"No, Dawn," Misty said. "No I'm not and you shouldn't be either."

"But I'm fine," she said. "Why should I not be OK?"

"Dawn," the boy snapped, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Just… Please… Stop talking."

Dawn nodded dumbly and ceased her questions, instead putting her hands behind her back, watching the two people cry silently.

~K~

"Shinji Akari is dead. We are sure of it. For some reason Dawn wasn't killed along with him, she's still alive. What should we do now?"

Black eyes opened slowly. A smirk appeared on a face.

"Perfect," was the reply.

**Look out for Owari which should be coming very soon!**

**Thank you once again to all of you, my brilliant readers ^_^**

**RSx**


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